Naruto: Bonds of Brotherhood
by schoolme23
Summary: The burning in his chest and racing of his heart made it so painfully clear. It could all be over right now. Only inches prevented it. Naruto was so blissfully ignorant. All he had to do was reach out and sever the ties, and then it would end. The agony. The lies. All of it could end with one fell stroke, and as his blade neared only the bonds of brotherhood stayed his hand.
1. Eyes in the Shadows

**Hey, thanks for checking out my little story. This is my second attempt at putting fanfiction on display for readers on this site, and I've had fun with it so far. I am currently trying to stick to an upload schedule of one chapter a month, but things are kind of hectic right now. I am not, and will not hold back this story to get reviews. I write for the fun and the challenge, not the popularity. That doesn't mean I don't want to read your review. I ask only that you give it a try and let me know what you think about it. Other than that enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Eyes in the Shadows**

"Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape." - William S. Burroughs

* * *

The forest was still and quiet in the cool of the night. Leaves fluttered on the trees as a small breeze swept through. The branches would shift on occasion, almost as if they were adjusting to a sudden weight. The moon shone brightly, and its light illuminating the night making it quite easy to see. What was unseen, however, was far more interesting. The untrained eye would not know what to look for. For those who had the skill, a glimpse of a woman would appear for the faintest of moments. Dashing through the treetops at breakneck speeds, she left only a red streak created by her long hair as it trailed behind her.

She had forgotten how long she had kept this grueling pace. Hours for certain, but the pain in her legs and the burning in her lungs made it feel as though it had been days. Yet, she could not stop. She dare not stop. There could be no rest now. She had a mission to accomplish, and that mission was one of survival. The life of a ninja is one of risks. She knew that when she began her training as a child, but it had been years since she had actually felt the fear of failure. Her skills had been honed and mastered over the course of decades, and rarely had she been faced with something that could possibly be beyond the scope of her ability. Now she was faced with this precarious situation, and life was in the balance.

His eyes told the whole story. She didn't even know for certain just who he was, but she didn't have to. The look in his eyes revealed his power, and the way his words flowed off his tongue spoke of confidence. The way he carried himself showed he was experienced. The fact he knew who she was and where to find her meant he was dangerous. It didn't matter what he wanted. All that she knew was that she couldn't let him have it. He seemed the type that would take by force no matter if the victim was willing to cooperate or not. Those golden, serpentine eyes bore into her soul and let her know that she would die.

Death was the only guarantee for a ninja. She had escaped it for many years, and now it seemed death had again come to her doorstep. Under normal circumstances this would not be a problem. She would have fought against the man. She would have struggled with fate, and forced it to yield life to her once more. Conversely, if she failed to defeat him she would answer the call of the grave gladly, knowing she died in battle with honor. This time though, things were different, and running was the only option at the moment. A small weight shifted in her arms, and she looked down at the bundle she carried. Her life was the only thing to shield this small child from her pursuer. Whatever her fate may be this night, she would die to make sure that her son was safe.

Her eyes scanned through the thick cropping of trees. She needed to find help, and her options were quite limited. She had family that lived in the safety and security of a large village, but it would take at least another day to get there. The various traps she set for her opponent were clever, and skillfully hidden, but would buy her an hour's time at most. There was only one person in the immediate area that she could trust. The problem was that she knew only where he had been last, and where he was going next. There was no promise that things had not changed, and no guarantee that he could be found tonight.

Her pursuer, luckily, had been toying with her during the initial chase. It was that fact alone that gave her the time to escape with her child. It also helped that she was well prepared to leave at any given moment. Yet, it had been nearly a year since she had committed herself to the intense training her body had been used to. Now, her muscles screamed in agony with every move, every breath set her lungs ablaze. The only reason she was able to press on now was adrenaline, fueled by fear.

Clouds covered the moon, and brought the night into true darkness. Perhaps it was only paranoia, but she could feel the eyes of her enemy upon her as the soft light faded to black. There was something about that man that caused a primal panic in her soul. It was only her own experience that propelled her initially, her desire to protect her son strengthened her will, and now there was a glimmer of hope. The light was dim, well off the main roads some distance away, but it was unmistakable now that all other light was eclipsed by a passing cloud. It was her only lead. If the camp did not belong to her friend then she could possibly lose all of the precious distance she had put between herself and the man hunting her. In spite of all of the risks, the slim chance was too much to pass up.

She moved closer to the camp, trying to be especially quiet in case it housed a new threat. There was a humble camp and a fire that flickered gently. The glow of the flame outlined a pull-cart that likely held some personal supplies and wares that were bought or to be sold at market. There was an empty bed roll on the ground. Other than those things there was nothing indicating that there was a person nearby. She would have to be careful. She dropped down from the branch she was resting on to analyze the area. The sudden jolt from landing reconfirmed the tortured state of her body. Slowly edging closer to the small pile of blazing wood, she held her child protectively against her chest.

Without warning she was greeted with the cold, sharp feeling of a blade at her throat. While it was not a pleasant greeting, it was better than having the edged steel bite into her neck with no hesitation at all. All things considered, things were looking good so far.

"Identify yourself," a calm voice commanded with a whisper in her ear. Given the location of the camp, and the quiet in this man's voice, he was possibly trying to stay hidden. This was another good sign. "Be quick about it, and choose your words carefully."

"Katsushiro, it's me," she responded with a simple prayer that this was the man that she believed it to be.

"Akane? Is that really you?" The slight pressure against her neck was removed as the man spoke. She turned to meet him, and she felt an overwhelming joy. Maybe, just maybe, there will be some good to come of this madness. "How did you even find me?"

"It isn't important. I don't have much time to explain, but they found me. At first I thought they were just after some Intel, but they were hunting me down. I don't know what they are after, or what they want me for, but the person they sent after me is good. He's really good. I don't think I'll be walking away from this one, so I need a favor of you," Akane responded. This was not really how she wished to see Katsushiro again, but it was better than nothing at all.

"I will help you as best I can," he said sheathing his sword. There was a reassuring calm in his voice, and a look of sympathy in his eyes. He would die for her if she asked, but the favor she had in mind was a bit bigger than that.

She handed the small bundle in her arms off to him, "I need you to take care of him for me. If they want me for my heritage, then they will take him for sure. I will lead the guy chasing me away from here, but we have to be quick."

"When did you," Katsushiro started breathlessly. The small look of shock on his face became more pronounced as he looked at the sleeping form of the baby boy in his arms. "When did this happen?"

"About a year ago," Akane didn't want to play twenty questions right now. "I would have told you but the last time we were together you told me that you had to disappear for a while. If they were close enough to finding you that you believed you had to go off the grid then I didn't want that anywhere near my son. The only reason that I brought him to you now is because I won't be able to make it to my cousin in time. Also, I trust you above all others. You may not be the safest choice, but you are the best."

She began rummaging through her pack drawing out some supplies that she had prepared in advance. She didn't need to hear Katsushiro agree to her favor. He would raise her son with or without her approval at this point. He would feel guilty for having not been there to help when she was pregnant, or delivering, but he would have to get over it. There was little time to waste, and Akane would spare none of it on sob stories, or guilt trips. She would ensure her son was safe, and then leave before her presence put his life in jeopardy.

"Very well," the response came quietly. She expected more questions about the how's and the why's that led up to this, but he must have become aware of the gravity of the situation she was in. "What would you have me do?"

"I don't really want my son involved in my mess or yours, but there is a good chance that he'll get caught up in it anyway. I need you to train him. Teach him as you see fit, and for as long as you deem necessary. When you think he is ready, or when it is too dangerous for him to be near you, take him to Konohagakure to live with my cousin. Speak nothing of his heritage to anyone other than the Hokage, he will know what to do. He knows who I am, and he owes me one. I have more detailed instructions written out for you in this scroll," she spoke quickly depleting her pack of the provisions she did not need. Placing the bundled parchment firmly in his hands he studied it for a moment as if trying to read its sealed contents.

"Alright, and what should I do in the meantime? I am ill equipped for child rearing," Katsushiro said. Akane knew he was nervous. The man probably had not thought this day would come in a million years, but now it was thrust upon him without warning. Story of their lives.

"I have a number of supplies that you will need. It isn't much, but it should last you a few weeks. There are dyes for his hair included with them, and instructions to make more. It will be necessary to help you stay hidden. You would be surprised how many people can identify the clan I am from simply by the color of my hair," she wasn't sure what else he needed.

"Do you have any other instructions?" He asked pleadingly. He wanted some sort of a game plan.

"Umm," she was semi-frantic now. You can't really make plans to leave your son to be raised by someone else because you feel you are about to die. "I guess you shouldn't let him stay up late, make sure he eats his vegetables, be sure he washes up, and,"

"I'm no fool," Katsushiro bluntly interrupted. "I wanted to know about any instructions you had regarding his training."

"Nothing special really. I left all of the scrolls I have that detail my clan's techniques. If he shows interest in learning them, then let him learn at his own pace. I know you can't teach him much about fūinjutsu, but help him where you can, and don't push him in the subject. I don't really have anything for beginners. Outside of that just make sure he is strong enough to deal with all the madness that will be thrown his way. You know better than anyone the people who are after us, so just make sure he can handle it," Akane was growing more anxious as time wore on. She couldn't stay much longer, but she didn't want to leave.

"Would you like a moment with him?" Katsushiro offered her son to her as if feeling out why she lingered. He held the boy awkwardly, but the whole situation was awkward. He seemed to be handling it well considering he was just handed a child and expected to care for him. As she took the babe into her arms once more she could feel the tears start to well up.

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She had been so excited to be a mother, and she had wanted so much out of this new aspect of her life. She kissed the brow of her baby and thought of everything she had wanted. She wanted to watch him grow. She wanted to teach him about the world the he would explore as a toddler and young boy. She had hoped to train him as a shinobi when he became older, if he showed interest. She wanted to see him become a man, and face whatever destiny held for him. She had wanted to see him fall in love, and begin a family of his own. So much was being robbed from her, and the only way she could secure any future for her boy was to lay down her own life.

"I want you to listen closely to Katsushiro," she instructed her sleeping son. She combed a hand through the tuft of dark hair, and kissed his forehead again. She wished that she could look in his eyes, but couldn't afford to have him awake. Too much noise would draw unwelcome attention. "Obey him, and apply yourself to everything he teaches you. Make friends, and find someone precious to you. Find something in life worth fighting for, and protect it with all of your strength. Have dreams, set goals, and strive to achieve them. Always remember," she was starting to get choked up. She had to say it. She just didn't want to say it like this. She wanted to say it more. She wanted to speak these words every day of this boy's life. Alas, fate is a cruel mistress and her will cannot be denied. Merely delayed, and Akane had put her fate off for as long as she could.

"Yurushi, my sweet little boy, always remember your mommy loves you," she nearly cried as she handed her child away and turned away. She was about to set off, before she remembered another important thing. Withdrawing a scroll from the pocket of her jacket, she turned back to Katsushiro. "I almost forgot about this," she put the scroll down amongst the other supplies that she set next to him. "This is the key to something very important. I wrote about it in those instructions I left for you. They will detail what it goes to and why it is important, but this is the key. Give it to him when you think he is ready."

"I will," Katsushiro looked at her strangely. He was staring off into the distance. Perhaps, he was trying to piece together the differences between the woman she became and the shadow of the girl that she once was. Akane could tell that he wanted to say something important. He probably wanted to say some sort of goodbye. Katsushiro hated saying goodbye though. To him it was a word that held far too much finality, and suggested that he would never again see the one he said it to. It was a strange idiosyncrasy, but it really described how much he valued his friendships. For him, you never say goodbye to a friend because you always plan to see them again.

"Thank you Katsushiro, and goodbye. Goodbye Yurushi," she turned away and began to plan her method of attack.

"Good luck Akane," he responded just as she leapt away into the trees.

Racing through the treetops she put distance between herself and her son. Yurushi may never know just how much she loved him, but as long as he was safe this was worth it. To lay down her life for her child is the duty of a mother, and for her it was a privilege to be able to express her love for him in such a way. She would not give in willingly though. Whoever it was that was chasing her would find a fight, and would have to prove they were her better. She would take no quarter tonight, and expected none in return. Death would meet someone in the woodlands she strode through, and if she had anything to say about it the creep with the sadistic smile and golden eyes would meet his maker. If this was to be her end, however, she wasn't going out alone.

* * *

"Uzumaki Yurushi," Katsushiro spoke absently to the sleeping child in his arms, "I guess it's going to be just the two of us for a while then."

He really wasn't sure what to think right now. There was too much to process, far too much to unravel, and he was far too tired to try right now. He felt the subtle vibrations of the earth shaking in his feet. It was likely created by a large explosion several kilometers away. He hoped and prayed that Akane would return later that night or the next morning. He couldn't play the role of a father. He didn't know the first thing about it. He never even had a figure in his life who modeled that role for him. There was no example he could follow, and no training manual for this. He realized that he had been pacing frantically on the outskirts in his camp.

The night was cold, and the blankets would only provide so much warmth for the baby. Under normal circumstances, he slept within sight of his camp but far enough away that he could get a good head start if the wrong people came looking for him. This child in his arms would need the added warmth of the fire, as well as his utmost attentions. All things considered, he had led a simple life up to this point. Life, it seems, was not so simple.

"What was she thinking?" He said out loud running a free hand through his long dark hair. "Why on earth would she leave you with me?"

He drew his cart closer to the flames and established an area where he could nestle the young boy in for the night so he wasn't rolling around in the cart or lying on the ground. It was makeshift to be sure, but it would do for now. He hoped that Akane would come back. He already felt like a complete idiot. The last thing that he said to the woman was 'Good luck,' and he instantly regretted not saying something more meaningful. He should have said something else, anything else. Now he may never get that chance. Clearly, he had not done right by their friendship. She had conceived, given birth, and started to raise a child without him even being aware. He would make up for that.

He wondered how little Yurushi could have slept peacefully through all that had been happening around him, but he didn't want to wake the boy. His sleep was likely the result of a genjutsu. An illusion Akane would have placed on him so nothing disturbed the infant as she fled for their lives. It would wear off in time. The child looked so peaceful, so innocent. To start life with such a tragic circumstance, it was harsh. This small boy would have a complicated life, and the older he got the more dangerous the world around him would become.

Katsushiro was road weary, but knew he would find little rest tonight. There was too much to think about. He had planned to bathe at a natural hot spring that he had found nearby during his previous travels, enjoy a light meal, and perhaps write a poem or two. It would have been a simple, yet relaxing way to end an evening. Life, it seems, enjoyed complicating things. This was evident, because what he just received complicated all of the plans he had for the immediate future. Akane, a long-time friend, dropped back into his life, handed him a child, and left just as suddenly as she came.

Clearly Akane had been desperate. He had spent the better part of a year hiding from powerful enemies, and trying to make them forget he still existed. Now, it seemed, Akane had found powerful enemies of her own. Why had she not been with family to begin with? Perhaps it was a matter of loyalty. Maybe it was bad blood between family members. It could have simply been her own pride that kept her from seeking help. He kept himself scarce when it came to Akane. Many details about one another's lives were hidden, and this had been established for her protection. They both knew the danger Katsushiro lived in, and he did not want to see her harmed because of him.

He thought of her words. If they were after her for her heritage, then the prospect of acquiring an infant Uzumaki may appeal to someone with the patience and time to see a powerhouse develop. The sealing arts of the Uzumaki clan were feared throughout the world, and if the boy had a natural talent, or even half of his mother's skill, then he would become a legend in his own time. If she left him with family, then it would only draw unwanted attention to her surviving clan members. Those clan members would likely become the newest targets, and the boy would still be in danger. This may have been why family was avoided.

Leaving her child with him had its own share of risks, the most immediate being his own past. It was a past riddled with tragedy and danger. A host of people who wanted to kill him, and a good number of them were still actively searching. Yet, the past few years Katsushiro was a ghost. He interacted with few people, and disguised himself well. He had created an effective alias by which he could make his living, and keep on the move. He had ceased to exist to the rest of the world, and this would be to the child's benefit. None would find the boy because none could find Katsushiro.

He looked into the makeshift crib he created and lay Yurushi down in his bed. Akane had asked to look after him, and train him. He had been fretting over having to act as a father. Akane must have known his trepidation on that front. Having never known his own father, and having no real male role model left him feeling like he would be an inadequate parent. Perhaps she knew he felt this way, and perhaps that was why she never asked him to be a father to the boy. The job Akane had given him was not one of father, but of an instructor.

She wanted her son to be strong enough to protect himself from the eyes that hunted for him, and the shadows that stalked him. She wanted Katsushiro to teach him this power. While he was unsure he could be an effective father, there was no doubt in his mind that he could make the boy a great soldier. This boy would be well prepared for the dangers to come. Katsushiro would take him, tear him down, strip him of all unnecessary components, and sharpen him. He would hone Yurushi into a dangerous weapon set at the throats of those who would dare to harm whatever the boy deemed precious.

The boy would not be a boy for long. Katsushiro knew that as soon as he showed any amount of talent or skill then the training would begin. The boy would mature fast, out of necessity. The childishness of youth would have to be purged from him. The only casualty would be the child's innocence. There was no need to awaken the boy to the dark truths of the world just yet. No, he would let the child sleep until it became too dangerous to stay in his dreams.

Katsushiro lay down on his bed roll and settled in for what would likely be a long and restless night. He picked up the scroll that Akane had given him and tried to find comfort in the glow of the firelight. His hand toyed with the parchment in its possession. The dried paper carried something of great importance and he debated whether or not to read it now. He opened the scroll and studied its contents. Little of it made sense, but there were a few things that he knew were the tell-tale signs of fūinjutsu. Having not been very learned in the sealing arts, there was little he could gather from this supposed _key_, and so he rolled the scroll back up and placed it in the pack nearby. He reached for the instructions Akane had left for him.

He skimmed over the words written down, and found them to be fairly generic. As he got toward the end he saw some key words that interested him. A pit formed in the bottom of his stomach, and he couldn't believe what he was reading. Katsushiro could feel himself growing in ire, until his anger was beginning to boil over. Frustrated with himself, with Akane, with their circumstances, and frustrated with the paper he held in his hands. He had never imagined that this was the way things truly were. In retrospect in made plenty of sense, but it was still a startling revelation all the same. He held nothing against Akane for hiding the truth from him, and knew that her reasons were more than justified. It still did nothing to abate his rising anger. He stood up and returned to the cart where Yurushi now lay.

Looking down at the child he knew that this boy's life would be struggle for survival. If he found any peace, any joy, any semblance of normalcy it would be a miracle. There was a chance; a glimmer of hope still remained. The only hope this boy had was a family the resided in a village full of ninja. It would be a long and harrowing road. Yurushi would likely face his fair share of betrayals, or would possibly have to commit a few of his own. Katsushiro prayed that his distant family, which was blissfully unaware of his existence, would have the ability to help. Events around him were shaping in strange and terrible ways. After the Third Great Shinobi War Katsushiro had hoped things would stay quiet for a good long while. Life, it seems, would march on relentlessly.

"Get some rest Yurushi," Katsushiro instructed the infant as he stroked the top of his head. "We have a big day ahead of us, and you will need your strength."

* * *

A lone man stood atop a hill. His form was silhouetted by the light of the full moon, and that man's presence marked his destination. Bristling with a confidence that was evidenced in each stride he took. Long dark hair draped past his shoulders and swayed in the passing wind. A wide grin formed on his face as he remembered the entertainment he had been provided evening. He began to crest the hill and approached the man waiting for him to return. His features became more recognizable as the distance closed between them, the orange hair, the various piercings, and most notably the flat purple eyes that bore a pattern of concentric circles.

"Orochimaru," the man called out in the night. "I trust you succeeded."

"But of course. Did you expect anything less?" Orochimaru responded and he carelessly tossed the limp body of the woman whom he had been dragging by her hair. It was rather ungraceful the way her crumpled form lay lifeless at the man's feet. She had been a skilled opponent. Horribly out of practice, but her near inhuman stamina, quick wits, and natural talent made her quite the challenge. The chase through the woods and the various traps he encountered during the effort to catch her solidified in his mind that she was worthy prey.

"Is she alive?" Questioned Orochimaru's leader. "She is of no use to me dead."

Leader was such a strong word though. It suggested that Orochimaru was following him blindly. It also suggested the possibility that this man was his superior. While Orochimaru was not eager to challenge the man in combat, it was not because he feared victory was impossible. He simply preferred to act with certainty, and if not absolute certainty then he wanted extensive knowledge of his opponent. The eyes of his leader bore into him, and tried to discern any hints of betrayal. Orochimaru would not give him the satisfaction though. "She is, but I fail to see why we needed to capture her alive. Whatever bounty that is on her head must be more than sufficient, dead _or_ alive," his words trailed off suggestively. He was trying draw out emotion from the man, but to no avail.

When emotions were flared tongues were loosened. Information was power, and Orochimaru knew his leader jealously guarded all of his secrets. Time was slowly revealing them though. One by one he was learning the secrets surrounding the man's eyes, past, and the organization they worked for. The goals of this organization were critical pieces of knowledge. This knowledge would determine when Orochimaru made his next move, and the nature of his departure from the group called Akatsuki. He did not want his plans hindered by this group, and needed contingencies in place for dealing with Akatsuki should their interests be conflicted.

"She is necessary, and more useful alive than dead," and again Orochimaru was stonewalled by the response. One did not become as powerful as he had become without being able to read between the lines of a person's words, actions, and circumstances. Piecing together facts and drawing them to their logical conclusions was far more reliable than a direct answer. Yet, the choice of his words piqued Orochimaru's interest.

This woman was necessary. No one bounty had been necessary before, and even so it was never the target but the money that was necessary. This mission was an anomaly from the beginning. Akatsuki had found a sort of niche in the international community as a group of incredibly skilled hunter ninja. They would perform other jobs as the need arose, but the bulk of their contracts were to hunt down ninja that had defected from the military that employed them. Ironic, since the largest secret Akatsuki held was that the entire organization was comprised of traitors and deserters. This entire time, however, not a single bounty had been taken alive. It was too much of a risk to fight against highly skilled ninja without intent to kill. Yet, the order was to take this woman alive. Killing her was simply not an option.

"I find it interesting that you came all the way out here to oversee the operation," Orochimaru stated, playing coy all the while. "I am honored that you feel compelled to appraise my skills." The lie was designed to cause response, but the man stood as cold as ever. It was the second oddity about the mission. His leader never oversaw an operation in person. Never.

"I wanted to give you your next assignment," the response came with an even tone. It was a lie to be sure, but one that would not be challenged. Orders only came in person if Orochimaru had been called in to headquarters, or if he had been there to complete an assignment. His leader was there to ensure that his prize was left unspoiled. Had Orochimaru killed the woman, his leader would have tried to end Orochimaru's life. He would have tried, not succeeded. This woman was central to Akatsuki's goals.

Orochimaru's gold eyes searched for any sort of tell on his superior, but could find nothing. The woman he had captured was undoubtedly an Uzumaki. Her red hair, her abnormally high chakra reserves, and the way she had been tossing fūinjutsu around their battlefield like candy in a parade left no doubt in Orochimaru's mind as to who she was. The Uzumaki, above all else, were feared for their knowledge of the sealing arts. If he needed this woman alive, then his leader needed something to be sealed. The question was what exactly.

"I wonder," Orochimaru started. His superior seemed intrigued, or as intrigued as a stoic can look. "The woman had a young child with her when I first encountered her. Finding the child again would be a simple matter. If you like I could go and collect him for you."

The answer to the offer would be telling. The Akatsuki leader had an abundance of patience, and if he needed a sealing technique immediately the child would be of no interest. If his need for a seal was a long term goal, then the child would be captured, raised, and trained into the perfect weapon. Children were perfect tools. They were so very trusting, so full of potential, and so malleable. A child was a blank canvas that needed only an artists' touch. With time, a child would grow into a loyal weapon that is both eager and willing to serve. It was an idea that corresponded so beautifully with Orochimaru's appreciation of youth and his desire to maintain his own.

"The child is of no consequence to me," the detached tone of voice portrayed an attitude of indifference and apathy. It was no different than any other response the man would give, but once again, Orochimaru was not fooled. The child was of no consequence because he needed the skills of a master, and he needed it quickly. There was simply no time to invest in the training of a child. This was a tragedy to be sure. If the mother was any indication, then the child would have a high potential. Hope remained. If his leader was not interested, then the child was fair game. Perhaps in a few years after the child has grown some Orochimaru would seek him out and collect a new recruit.

"Now, if I do recall," Orochimaru began. "You were going to give me my next assignment."

There was a hard stare from the orange haired man before him. There was always an angle to be played, and always a secret agenda in this game. Orochimaru was known as a snake, and a surprising few regarded him as such. His leader was no fool. This man understood Orochimaru's true nature quite well, and Orochimaru enjoyed the challenge. As long as his superior stayed focused on his movements, Orochimaru would be hard pressed for a perfectly clean break. The key would be to find a moment that both furthered his own goals, but made him seem to be harmless to the organization. It would be a challenge, but one well worth undertaking.

"This assignment is of the utmost importance to the Akatsuki," his leader stated handing a scroll off to the long haired ninja. Orochimaru took the scroll and glanced at its contents trying to display an attitude of indifference. Answers to long standing questions would soon present themselves. "The details are given in that scroll, but you are to infiltrate the diplomatic agencies of Kusagakure and use that as a front to spy on and gather information on all of the villages mentioned in the scroll. You will report in regular intervals as directed."

"I see, so you needed someone who could easily infiltrate the inner workings of the village and steal all of the secrets they have collected," Orochimaru concluded aloud. There was an interesting collection of villages that he was supposed to spy on. There was Konohagakure, Iwagakure, Kumogakure, Kirigakure, Sunagakure, and Takigakure. The five most powerful villages in the ninja world, and one minor village were all his targets. The connection between them was the key to Akatsuki's goals. "What sort of information were you looking for? Kusagakure's data on other nations is quite extensive. Their diplomatic efforts have resulted in one of the most effective network of spies in the world. If I knew exactly what I was looking for I could certainly have this mission done within a week."

He was fishing for more information, and would get nothing judging by the contemptuous scowl on the face of the man with strange eyes. "You will be thorough and collect all available information. I will personally contact you when your mission is completed. There can be no trace of your presence left behind. Kusagakure is a valuable asset to our efforts in collecting the finances we need, and as such you will receive no direct help from Akatsuki. Whatever contacts and agents you utilize will have to be your own. During this mission you can have no visible affiliation with Akatsuki, and the utmost discretion will be expected of you."

This was an opportunity that Orochimaru could not afford to pass up. Kusagakure was the perfect staging area to bring his organization to life. He had collected a few loose agents over the years, but he had to gather them slowly, and under the noses of the Akatsuki's leadership. This mission would allow him to collect followers at a much more rapid rate. Should any questions arise it would be easy to portray it all as a part of this mission. It would also shed light on the Akatsuki's end game. "Well, I had better get going. Infiltrating Kusagakure without drawing suspicion will take some time."

With only a nod of the head in recognition his leader heaved the body of the woman onto his shoulder. "Failure is not an option. Remember that well Orochimaru," and with his final warning stated the strange man disappeared into the night. Things were starting to develop in very interesting ways. Orochimaru couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the world would respond as his plans came to fruition.

"Very well Pein-_sama_," Orochimaru answered to his now absent leader with no shortage of derision in his voice. He began to move toward his destination, all the while mentally drafting plans to utilize and accomplish the mission at hand. The steps he took toward Kusagakure also brought him that much closer to realizing his own dreams.

"Soon, very soon," he said to no one with a chuckle. "Soon I will know the secrets of those eyes, and when I do you will not be able to stop me. Soon I will solve the mysteries of life and death, and when I do I shall be the master of both."

His eyes pierced the darkness before him, and time would tell if he could reach the vision of the future his eyes could see.


	2. Enter, Uzumaki Yurushi!

**Chapter 2: Enter, Uzumaki Yurushi!**

"He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying." - Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

Patience, he had to wait this time. Acting in haste again would only create sloppy work, and master hated sloppy work. Waiting was against his nature, but it was something he had to learn how to do. Sitting atop his heels his knees rested on the grass. He could feel the fabric of his clothes getting damp from contact with the morning dew. He noted his surroundings. It was a small glade in the woods where they had stopped the previous night. The cart was behind him and had been wheeled away, setting it behind the long dead campfire. He would have to collect fire wood again in order to have a warm breakfast. That was unless Katsushiro-sensei planned on getting fresh fruit when he visited the marketplace later that morning.

Focus, he had to stay focused. Now was not the time for distractions. A gentle breeze tickled his face, and the branches of the trees in front of him shifted gently under an added weight. He closed his eyes and steadied his breath in order to still his mind. Expelling all worries and cares from his thoughts was becoming easier and easier. He focused on the familiar weight resting in his lap. The wakizashi he held in his hand had seemed a bit too long when he first received it, but he was slowly growing into the weapon. There was a smooth polish on the well-worn wood of the hilt and the scabbard. His first sword had a tsuba at the base of the blade, but this one held no such protection. His master said that he would have to learn to not be reliant on it. After all, not every sword had one and reliance on a guard could cost him his hand should muscle memory forget the design of the sword he wields.

He opened his eyes just as the breeze picked up again. He looked up into the trees where he knew his master was. This was the signal that he was ready to begin the exercise. Three leaves detached from their home and began their descent. Three leaves? That was one more than yesterday. He should not have been expecting just two. Paying attention to three leaves and timing everything perfectly would be hard. Really hard. The breeze carried them closer to his position and in his head he began to calculate the rate they were falling against the speed they were travelling toward him. They would make it within range, but would they go further? The breeze was strong enough, but there was no guarantee it would hold.

Still, he would wait. Five meters away. Two were lined up well enough, but one was offset on the left side. It would take two movements, and as much as he wanted to make it all a single movement he couldn't visualize the strike. He shifted his weight to the balls of his feet, preparing to stand. He began to ease the sword from its sheath in anticipation. The question lingered in his mind. Should he let them pass in the hopes that a better angle of attack revealed itself or should he take the sure strike? The breeze was not dying down, but it could stop any time. The time to make a decision had passed, as the time to act was upon him.

In a flash he stood shifting the sword to the left side of his waist. Drawing the sword and striking at the first two leaves in a single motion. He winced, as a shift in the second leaf forced him to alter the angle of his initial strike ever so slightly leading the blade to strike true. With a practiced fluidity he turned his wrist and brought the edged metal to bear on the third leaf. Slicing deftly through it he quickly returned the blade to its home. He resumed sitting on the back of his legs just as though nothing had happened, and awaited his master's criticism.

Katsushiro-sensei was not a harsh man, but he had high expectations. His training was brutal, but far from abusive. From years of experience, he could definitively say that Katsushiro-sensei was a kind, gentle-hearted man, and possessed a wealth of knowledge. The man was not good at expressing himself, or at least didn't seem to be. Most moments they had little more than each other's presence and their own thoughts as company. Nearly all of their conversations began with asking a question of his master, and hoping for an answer. A good few started just like this one was about to. Katsushiro appeared before him, and the look in his master's emerald eyes bore slight disappointment.

"Yurushi," the strong voice of his Sensei flowed into his ears. It was comfort and it was heartache. This was the bittersweet of disappointing Katsushiro-sensei. There was always room for improvement, but the way his features were etched on his face showed that his expectations should have been met.

"Yes, Sensei," Yurushi's eyes closed as he simultaneously made a bow in respect to his master.

"You showed improvement," Katsushiro began. Yurushi held his excitement, but inside he was joyful because of the high praise he had just received from a man of few words. "Though, you have much still to learn."

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi acknowledged the call to better himself and strove to push harder in his training.

"You had the skill to complete this exercise with two movements, but you used three," his Sensei let the words linger as the gravity of their meaning sunk in. The slight shift to cut through the second leaf, naturally, counted as a movement. Yurushi had known that when he made the maneuver, but part of him had hoped against all hope that his master had not seen it. "Your precision is getting better, but far from where it needs to be."

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi said knowing he had to give a greater effort in being more precise with his movements. It was such a difficult thing, to act with the complete assurance that what you perceive happening was what would happen. Yurushi could not have known that the leaf would shift in such a way that it was no longer in line with his strike. He could have placed his sword in a better spot. There was no need to split the leaves perfectly in half, as he had been trying to do. Had he simply been trying to get a clean strike, then perhaps he would have succeeded in meeting his master's standards.

His master's long black hair flowed free. Usually he held it in a simple ponytail, and when he was going into town he wore it in a more traditional fashion. His caretaker was dressed in an outfit similar to his own which consisted of a simple white kimono and a navy blue hakama. His katana rested comfortably on his side, and was always ready for battle should the need arise. He had, apparently, elected not to shave this morning which meant that today would not include a trip to a nearby town.

"Recite the seven virtues for me," his master said as he turned to gather something from their trusty cart.

"Courage, rectitude, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor, and loyalty," Yurushi answered quickly having learned each of them by heart. He had begun to understand their importance over the years, and was only beginning to learn how they applied to everyday life. Many times, acting by the seven virtues seemed to feel completely contrary to his nature. At nearly eight years of age, Yurushi's immaturity did not allow him to feel natural being entirely respectful to certain people. There were times when righteousness gave way to mischievousness, all in the name of fun. Usually his master was the only victim, but the punishment was always greater than the crime.

"Very good Yurushi," his master responded as he set a log down on its end so it stood as tall as it could. It was only about five meters away and looked to be about a half meter thick. It was likely a type of softwood, but his master was using a piece of a tree rather than a bundle of bamboo and then decreased the distance from the last time he did this exercise. Today seemed to be a day where his master was testing his limits, and so Yurushi began to prepare for the possibility that it was a type of hardwood instead. No point in being caught off guard again. After all, this was not just a test of his strength, but how well he maintained his sword. Katsushiro-sensei always seemed to have a test within a test.

No words needed to be exchanged at this point. Yurushi knew the drill. This was another exercise to gauge how skilled he was in the practice of Iaidō. While not the only part of his training in the art of swordsmanship, Iaidō was the primary focus. He moved his wakizashi from its place on his lap to the ground in front of him. Bowing low before his blade he gave the respect that was due his weapon. Grabbing it once more Yurushi secured it within his obi and stood with his feet set wide, ready to sprint towards his target. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword with its sheathed edge pointed to the sky; he was ready.

It was sudden. Lightning speed for a boy his age, and the distance between him and the log was nearly cleared. He came within range in seconds and drew his sword. Yurushi released it from the scabbard in such a way that the keen edge was immediately met with the bark of the once proud piece of tree. As he passed the log the sharpened metal passed through, keeping with his momentum. As soon as he no longer felt resistance, Yurushi slowed to a stop. He resumed his kneeling position and drew his scabbard, standing it on the ground in front of him. He delicately placed the sword back in its sheath, and repeated the ritualistic practice of showing respect to his sword.

"Very good Yurushi," his master stated from behind his current position. Yurushi couldn't see Katsushiro, but he imagined his Sensei was examining the cut that he had made in the wood. Iaidō may not be aggressive in its philosophy, but his master had stated that he may find a time where wisdom lay in making the first attack. It was always better to be prepared for any eventuality. That was his master's mantra, and it had apparently served him quite well during the days he was a samurai.

"Thank you Katsushiro-sensei," the boy responded as he turned to see what his master was doing. The bangs of his dark hair obstructed his view and he blew the loose strands out of the way.

"Your hair will need cutting soon," his master said without even turning from his task. The man had taken to gathering supplies from his cart, and Yurushi grew curious.

"Sensei, what are you doing?" Yurushi asked. The boy's curiosity had been one of the few childlike mannerisms that not only survived, but was nurtured by his caretaker. The man always had an answer for his questions, and never hesitated to indulge the boy's quest for knowledge. What few adults Yurushi had come across in their travels did not take too kindly to his near interrogative approach to satiating his curiosity. Katsushiro had great patience, and impressed the need for such with his student in both word and deed.

"I am making preparations for the next stage in your training," he responded. _Next stage_? As far as Yurushi knew, there were no _stages_ to the various types of Kenjutsu he was learning. Iaidō was a specialized branch of his Kendō training. While it did encompass more than the katas and movements, it didn't have stages that he had ever heard of. His master had been a samurai for many years, and if he said that his training had stages, then his training had stages. Katsushiro-sensei unfurled several scrolls in the area encircling Yurushi within the strips of blank paper.

With a brush in one hand and a container of ink in the other his master set about whatever work that he had tasked for himself. Yurushi was beyond confused. He had no idea why his Sensei seemed to be painting strange patterns and characters on the canvas all around him. Slowly, Katsushiro was drawing on the ground and Yurushi found himself encircled by the elegant arrangements that littered the earth.

"Lie down and remove your shirt," His master instructed without removing his eyes from his work. Again, a curious request, but his curiosity did not hinder his obedience. Yurushi removed his arms from the sleeves of his kimono and the fabric fell free from his body down to where his obi was tied around his waist. He continued to lie down on the ground. His desire to know was eating away all of the other thoughts he had.

"Sensei, what are you doing?" He asked, his inquisitive nature finally winning out.

"I am drawing a seal that will help you in your training," Katsushiro answered as he began checking over the work he had completed thus far. Yurushi watched his master circle around him staring thoughtfully at the ground.

"A seal," the boy repeated with a degree of confusion in his voice and on his face.

"Fūinjutsu is an art that allows someone to place something inside of something else, thereby sealing it away for later use. You can also unseal something that has been locked away. It is a delicate and precise art that is based heavily upon chakra theory," the man answered the unasked question as he knelt by Yurushi's side with his ink, brush, and a bowl full of water. Yurushi always appreciated how his sensei answered his questions as thoroughly as possible, but his answers usually brought more questions.

"Chakra? Isn't that the stuff that ninja use for all of their techniques?" He had thought that only ninja used chakra. If his thought were true then he had no earthly idea how his Sensei, a samurai, was able to use it.

"Don't move," his master commanded as he dipped the brush into the inkwell. "Chakra is the balanced combination of physical and spiritual energies, and it is used by all living things. Even though we are not ninja we still use chakra," the man explained as he began to paint strange patterns on the chest of the child. The feel of the brush against bare skin and the coolness of the ink had begun to tickle Yurushi.

"Then is fūinjutsu a samurai skill or a ninja one?" He couldn't recall any tales of master samurai who were renowned for their skill in the sealing arts, but that didn't mean there weren't any.

"It is a skill used primarily by ninja," Katsushiro answered focusing on his work. "However, a samurai can learn the way of the shinobi just as the ninja can learn the way of the samurai. This is a technique I learned during my travels."

"Did a ninja teach it to you?" Yurushi could not help his thirst for knowledge. The prospect of learning something new, especially when it was about his master, was always an exciting thing. He briefly tried to envision Katsushiro in some hybrid garb of both professions. Long hair bound, sections of armor covering chest, shins, shoulders, and pieces of dark form fitting fabric, and a hitai-ate proudly worn on his brow. Katsuhiro looked awesome, but the boy abandoned the idea when his master replied.

"I actually learned the technique from a very dear friend of mine. She had thought that it would help me develop a quicker mastery of Iaidō, but I never used it much. I wanted to learn by the traditional methods," he answered. Yurushi could almost believe he saw a small smile form on the face of his overseer, but it was gone just as soon as he saw it, so he wasn't sure if it was there at all.

"Who was she?" If this woman had been a good friend it was strange that Yurushi had yet to meet her in the near eight years of his life. It was possible that she lived in one of the villages that they regularly stopped at. Yurushi never went into town much. It was also possible that she had passed on. Master always said that ninja typically live a much shorter life than samurai. He had said that it was a punishment from Kami for all of the grievous sins they commit, but it could also be because that they often fought with no honor. Striking from the shadows when the enemy is unaware, the thought sickened Yurushi.

"She was your mother," his master responded quietly. Mother? He had never known his mother. He knew he had to have had one at some point, but she was never present. Frankly, it was only last year when he had even questioned the absence of a mother. He and his Sensei had passed through a small village. It was the last time he had actually gone into town with his Sensei. While his Sensei had been selling his wares, Yurushi made a friend. He was a kind and adventurous boy, Shin was his name he thought, and they explored the river's edge nearby the marketplace. They were having fun skipping stones until Shin's mother came, hunting down his newfound friend with Katsushiro close behind. After that he had wondered where his mother was, but he held his curiosity in check. Shin didn't seem to have a father and he didn't seem to have a mother, and Yurushi just concluded that was just the way life worked.

"What was she like?" Yurushi had never thought much about the subject since that day with Shin, but now that it was broached he was going to get answers to long withheld questions.

"Her name was Uzumaki Akane. She was a powerful kunoichi and a wonderful friend. She was quite skilled in the fūinjutsu of her clan, and made herself a target for several people because of her skill. She would often travel from place to place to keep her enemies away from her, but shortly after your birth they discovered her while in hiding. She left you in my care until such a time when she could return, but that was over seven years ago. I fear that she was killed," Katsushiro answered as he set the brush and ink aside. He began to examine his work.

"Would she be proud of me becoming a samurai instead of being a ninja like her?" He had never thought he would want his mother's approval until he realized that he had a mother.

"She would be proud of you if you were learning to become a farmer so long as you were happy and giving your best," his master answered quickly. He seemed satisfied with his work and grabbed the container full of water.

"After I become a master of Iaidō are you going to teach me ninja techniques?" It was strange to suddenly want to learn about becoming a ninja. He had met ninja before but was not impressed. Well, not impressed with the younger ones. The older one, whom Sensei had informed him was a jōnin elite, was downright scary. The four shinobi had been on a mission around the border of Tsuchi no Kuni, and one of the three teens had grown impatient and thought that Yurushi and his master were the bandits they were charged to defeat. He was proven wrong quite painfully. Katsushiro-sensei defeated him soundly and had the poor boy completely at his mercy. The burly jōnin stood by and watched, but once the victor was made clear he warned Katsushiro that the boy was to be left unspoiled.

That moment had been where Yurushi saw a glimpse of the difference between a genin and a jōnin. Yurushi never felt anything like it before in his life. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, the air became thick around him, and he felt the cold chill of death looming over him. It was different than fear. He had been forced to fight a starving wolf in the wild, and the beast exuded a similar aura. That aura evoked fear. This was vastly different. What Yurushi had felt from the jōnin was focused, honed in on his master, and the moment seemed to last forever. Even though the sensation did not seem to have him as a target it still caused him to recall his breakfast from earlier that morning. He had felt embarrassed, and pitifully weak willed. His master said that it was a sort of technique ninja typically used, and it was simply known as Killing Intent.

"Don't get ahead of yourself boy," his master said sternly, "it takes years of constant training to become proficient in the practice of Iaidō. If, by the age of fifteen, you could survive combat with the captains of Tetsu no Kuni I would consider you to be a prodigy."

His master's hands became a flurry of activity. The fingers were weaving in and out of each other. Entwining, bending, shifting, moving, and all in strange ways the boy had never seen before. There seemed to be a pattern to it, but Yurushi couldn't see his master's hands well enough to tell. Suddenly the intricate dance his hands had been engaged in stopped. "Take a deep breath," his master said quickly.

Just as Yurushi inhaled he was engulfed in water. It covered him entirely almost as a second skin, or a thick winter coat. His master was sitting there doing something, but what it was he couldn't tell. The water was still too disturbed by the recent movement to see properly. He began to feel as though he could not hold his breath any longer, and he hoped Katsushiro would be done soon. A hand pushed through the surface of the water that coated him and pressed against the center of the design on his chest. The water began to recede to that point bringing with it all of the patterns and characters that had been painted on him and the ground.

Then it was over, and he lay on the ground as though nothing had happened. He lifted his head to get a look at the seal that his master had finished placing on him but found moving was a lot more difficult than it had been before. As he began to sit up he noticed that he felt as though he was swimming through the air. Muscles found some form of invisible resistance with each shift of his body.

"The seal makes your body feel as though you were moving through stagnant water. Its design is an adaptable one, and its power can be increased or decreased. In time I will teach you how to utilize the seal. Meanwhile, we will scale back your training until you have learned to move as though there was no resistance. Until then I will begin to teach you of history, philosophy, and poetry," his Sensei stated matter-of-factly.

"Will you teach me ninja techniques also?" Yurushi had actually become eager to learn the thing that made his absent mother so powerful. There was no explanation for it in his mind other than it was his mother, and he wanted to feel some sort of connection to her since he could not know her personally.

"In time," Katsushiro responded, "I will teach you what I can with my limited knowledge on the subject. Have you read the poetry I gave to you?"

"Yes Sensei I have," Yurushi answered.

"Good," Katsushiro stated as he handed Yurushi a blank scroll along with an inkwell and brush. "I will be giving you your first history lesson of the day, and I want you to write a haiku reflecting what you have learned from the lesson."

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi was excited about trying his hand at poetry. His master's work was really good, even though he didn't understand all of it. The haiku was a simple poem that focused on sounds to establish a rhythm, and references to nature or other forms of symbolism to establish the artists' meaning. The trick was to try to set the stage and let the reader fill in the rest for themselves. Never telling the whole story, but giving just enough information to make a meaningful and resonant response. It was a beautiful art form, and Yurushi was growing anxious to give it a try for himself.

"In the days of old, mankind was in a state of turmoil and conflict. Nations, clans, villages, and factions were warring with one another. There was no lasting unity among men, and all was chaos. A day came when a monk had discovered what none believed possible. This monk found total harmony within himself and the world around him. His teachings spread and became known as Ninshū. This monk was who we now know as the Rikudō Sennin, and he is the father of all Ninjutsu. The Sage was a man of great influence and power who forever changed this world in his attempt to bring it to peace. His teachings were derived from his meditations on achieving harmony. When he discovered total harmony he discovered the key to utilizing chakra. It is unclear if he was the first capable of molding chakra or merely the first to accomplish the feat, but his achievement was the cornerstone upon which our lives were built. To find the balance between heart, mind, body and soul, and be at peace within one's own being: this is the core teaching of Ninshū. Many of his followers were able to achieve this feat, and several were able to utilize chakra. The Way of the Shinobi was established in order to help those who could not help themselves. Endurance of spirit and will, and self-sacrifice of body and soul were the trademarks of the shinobi. These teachings unified several warring families and sects who were vying for resources and influence," Katsushiro-sensei instructed. Yurushi had never heard the man speak on one thing for so long, and secretly hoped that he would lecture more often. The man's words were a wealth of knowledge, and Yurushi wanted to soak it all in. Setting the bush to paper, Yurushi wrote.

_A budding flower_

"Banditry and violence still reigned in spite of the efforts of the Sennin," his master continued to elaborate as Yurushi began to write down the characters of the poem slowly forming in his head. "The disciples of the Sage were too few to enact the changes necessary to prevent the growing threats that faced the nations. Wealthy land owners pooled their resources and trained the strongest of men and the greatest of swordsmen to defend those inside their borders. Armies were formed and wars broke out to establish the limits of the land these great lords could control. A disciple of the Rikudō Sennin sought to take the teachings of his Sensei and apply them to the warrior's life. His hope was to bring peace and harmony to the hearts of those who knew only war. He began spreading his master's teachings among the warriors he encountered and gathered a following of his own. They trained together, honing their skills with the blade. They meditated and discussed their philosophies and the Sennin's teachings. Soon the disciple of the Sennin was able to extend the harmony he found in himself outward. He was able to project his own inner harmony into his blade and gave birth to Bushidō. To be in harmony with oneself and remain at peace during turmoil, and only drawing your sword as a last resort: this is the Way of the Warrior. Many of his followers embraced the tenants and rules that were established to ensure that violence was not begotten needlessly. There are few differences between the teachings of Ninshū and Bushidō, but Bushidō has a great emphasis on its code. The entire purpose of the rules was to guarantee that the seven virtues were upheld, and these rules were strictly enforced to ensure that those who followed the Way of the Warrior would not abuse the power they gained. Feudal Lords began to employ many of the practitioners of Bushidō, and the Samurai was born. Shinobi and Samurai held differing philosophies but a common bond in the Rikudō Sennin, and as such there was a peace between them. The Shinobi were still creating their clans, and the Samurai were helping to establish the nations, and their combined efforts were bringing the world of men closer to peace."

Yurushi could think of nothing new for the poem that he had begun, but another one was brewing in his head. He was enjoying a newfound outlet for his creativity, and it seemed that his artistic side was overflowing with ideas and endless possibilities. Still, his assignment was to write a poem based on what he was being taught and so he tried to pay close attention to what his Sensei was saying. He couldn't help but feel his thoughts drifting toward his mother. He wondered what she looked like, if she had a kind smile for him when he was born, and if she cried when they had to be separated. There were so many questions he had, but it seemed as if Katsushiro did not want to be upfront with answers. Many of the questions Yurushi had were things that only his mother could answer. He remembered that his master had said that he believed his mother had died, but that did not mean this was the truth. Katsushiro-sensei was had never lied to him, and was always upfront, but not all questions were answered directly. He determined that he would do whatever it took to meet her if the opportunity arose.

"Great strides were made toward peace, but it was not to be. A plague was set upon mankind by Kami-sama. A demon of the old world returned to destroy the world of men. The Sennin had well established himself as both wise and powerful, and he was approached with pleas to end the demon's scourge. He stood against the demon in mortal combat with the fate of mankind hanging in the balance. The Sennin, having achieved harmony with himself and the world around him, tapped into a power none had seen before. The Rikudō Sennin used the power of nature and combined it with the practice of the ancient mystic sealing tags to contain the beast within his own body. He was able to lock the beast away and in doing so saved mankind from the wrath of Kami-sama. Yet, a threat remained. The Sennin informed his followers that the beast would return upon his death. He set out on a pilgrimage to learn how to end the threat of the demon's return. On his journey he lived his life, was wed, had children, spread his teachings, and helped those in need. It is well known that his goal was to see peace spread throughout the world, and he realized that his goal would not be achieved in his lifetime. The demon would need to be dealt with, but his only solution was not a permanent one. He left his quest for peace in the hands of his younger son, and split the power of the demon into nine parts. These parts are known as the Bijū, and are identified by the number of tails they possess. Being disjoined from a single will, the Bijū were less of a threat than they were unified. The danger they possessed was still great. The desire for peace was also threatened by members of the Sennin's own house."

_Smell the approaching storm_

"The Sage's elder son became jealous of the second and struck out against his brother. The fight they began created a rift between the two, and ultimately led to the birth of the Senju and Uchiha shinobi clans. Their feud was the first of many between the followers of Ninshū. As the years bore on other clans of shinobi were established. The cycle of war was continued as these clans fought amongst themselves for power. This power was found in the techniques developed through the Sennin's teachings, and the power found in the blood of certain clans. The samurai became no different than their counterparts. Feudal Lords waged war amongst each other and would contend against shinobi clans to establish themselves as dominant in their regions. In an effort to achieve peace the samurai of one nation reached out to a shinobi clan to restore the core philosophies which had guided them in the ages past. Much was shared between them, and their combined efforts uncovered new knowledge that was locked within the teachings of the Sennin. Ultimately this new knowledge would be a source of great power. Where the samurai saw a chance for peace, the shinobi saw a tool for war. The shinobi clan betrayed the samurai, stealing the secrets that were uncovered, and silencing the samurai who would have opposed them. After this many samurai became insular. They withdrew from the world at large and became travelling swordsmen who would help the less fortunate as they saw fit. Some remained in the service of a Feudal Lord, and the few nobles who had the skill of samurai in their armies quickly established themselves as Daimyō and absolute rulers of their land. Shinobi continued chasing power where they saw it, and the Daimyō saw fit to use the power of the ninja clans to do their bidding. The clans fought for the highest bidder, and used those funds to fuel their efforts to tame the tailed beasts. The Bijū struggled against mankind, but time would show that mankind was greater than these pieces of the whole. The only clans who were successful in the capture of the Bijū were the clans that were direct descendants of the Rikudō Sennin. The leader of the Senju had captured all but one of the Bijū. The Uchiha clan was in control of the most powerful of the demons, and their fight for supremacy ended in a peace treaty."

The last line was one of the hardest to write. The notion of ending a poem in such a way that it elicits emotions in the reader allowing them to complete the haiku in their own mind was tricky to say the least. It was like leaving a painting unfinished intentionally so that the viewer could finish it in their imagination, but would still be satisfied with the outcome. It was an ending with no true ending. Yurushi set his brush to the paper to write down the last line as his master continued the story.

"Their peace drew the attention of many other shinobi clans, and several joined Senju Hashirama in his quest for peace. A village, the first shinobi village, was born of the peace between the Senju and the Uchiha. The Daimyō of Hi no Kuni mediated the peace treaty, and approved of the idea to construct a ninja village. The village was named Konohagakure, in reference to the thick and wild forest that surrounded the village. In exchange for the funds needed to start and maintain the village, the leaders swore to serve the Daimyō's interests and protect the lands he ruled. This became the template for the hidden village system that was soon adopted by other nations and their Diamyō. The leaders of the five most powerful and influential hidden villages were known as Kage. After his village was established the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, made another bid for peace by using the tailed beasts he had captured as bargaining chips. His thought was that the power of the Bijū would serve as a deterrent to war. By giving these demons to the other villages he was able to purchase a time of peace. That time of peace was only decades though, and the world erupted into war once again. Each attempt to create lasting peace only delayed the cycle of war. Why is it, Yurushi, that none have succeeded in finding an answer to the problem of peace?"

Yurushi was trying to put the final touches on the poem he had written when he was put on the spot by his master's sudden question. The Sennin had attempted to create peace, and had no doubt found a method of achieving it, but did not have the time to implement it. Time, however, waits for no man and the death of the Rikudō Sennin ended his quest for lasting peace. The samurai tried to unite with the shinobi, but all the ninja wanted was power. The Senju and the Uchiha created a peace between themselves and several other clans, but others made their own alliances in response. Likely, the rest of the clans felt threatened by an alliance between the two clans that held the Bijū. The first Hokage gave the tailed beasts out, but they were used as weapons instead of a safeguard. Power was coveted, feared, and used. It seemed that the heart of man was bent on using power when power was within its grasp, and only one had ever tried to find an answer to the real problem. "Is it because nobody knew what caused the cycle of war?"

"Very insightful," his master responded with a pleased look on his face. Yurushi felt good knowing his teacher believed he was doing well. He wanted to make his Sensei proud. "There are few who still seek the answer to the problem of peace, and fewer still who believe it is possible to find a solution. Some say that the true problem is hatred, some say lust for power, and others say that the frailty of life is to blame. The consensus is that the source of the problem lies within the heart. Had the Sennin left any lasting clues or final teachings on the matter, then we may have a better understanding of things. He left nothing behind save for the legacy now found in the Uchiha and Senju clans. One thing was certain, the Rikudō Sennin had an answer for lasting peace, and he left it to his children to implement his plan. His children failed to follow through. Peace is still waiting for us, and it is up to us to discover it for ourselves."

_Hope's blossom awaits_

Yurushi scribbled down the last line of his poem with all the haste he could muster. His master never said when he wanted to see the poem, but he assumed it would be reviewed sometime after his lecture was over. The look on his Katsushiro-sensei's face was one of withdrawn anticipation, and frankly that was the closest thing to excitement Yurushi had ever seen him display. Once he felt confident in his work, Yurushi handed the scroll to his master and waited patiently to see his response. He hoped that he did well. It seemed difficult to judge how talented someone really was because everyone has their own tastes. His master had a smirk on his face and nodded in affirmation, and if Katsushiro-sensei said it was good, then that was enough for him.

"We will discuss more in depth topics of history, philosophy, and other things at a later time. I felt this was a good place to start," his Sensei said as he gathered their things into the cart, and bid Yurushi to prepare for departure. It was still difficult to move as fast as he wanted to. His body was aching all over with the added stress of his newly minted training seal. Still the thought of this pain yielding benefits made the constant soreness of his muscles an acceptable price to pay. They began walking down the road at a much slower pace than usual, likely to compensate for Yurushi's newfound lack of haste.

"Where are we headed to Sensei?" Yurushi asked habitually as they paced themselves down the road to an unknown destination.

"There is a town nearby where I can purchase some materials I need," Katsuhiro answered also from habit. He never answered that question directly. He only ever stated they were going to a nearby town followed by their purpose for going there. "It should take us two or three days to get there though."

Yurushi frowned. He was slowing his Sensei down. He would have to get used to his training seal as quickly as he could so he wouldn't be a burden. "There is no need to feel upset," his master said without turning around as if he knew what Yurushi was thinking. "I had already accounted for increased travel time."

As they walked side by side, the comfortable silence settled in. Katsushiro was not much for words. In fact, his lecture was the most Yurushi could remember the somewhat imposing man ever saying at one given time. If there was a question Yurushi would ask and Sensei would answer, but few discussions or in depth conversations took place. It was time on the open road, when the silence reigned over them that Yurushi spent letting his mind wander. The only thing on his mind right now was his mother, and the poem he wrote for her memory.

_Desperate cold night_

_Softly the breeze is crying_

_Mother's bitter tears_

The idea that she may be alive was fleeting at best, but there was still hope. Nothing real, no promises or false illusions were given. All that was there was the slim chance that something happened so that she still lived. If the opportunity ever arose where he could discover his mother's fate, Yurushi was going to take it. Dead or alive, Yurushi swore to find her if he had the chance.

'_If you are out there somewhere I will find you, and we can be a family again,_' Yurushi thought to himself as he walked down another empty road with his Sensei on right side and his blade on his left.


	3. Finding Family

**Chapter 3: Finding Family**

"An ounce of blood is worth more than a pound of friendship." - Spanish Proverb

* * *

It was a beautiful morning, and the sounds of metal scraping against stone filled the air. There was an irregular rhythm to it, and it could have driven almost anyone mad. Still, sword maintenance needed to be done. He depended on his sword, and if the blade was not in pristine condition then his life could prematurely end. To Yurushi, this routine was as second nature as breathing. He was still moving slower than he wanted to, but it was to be expected. The difference between the base power of the seal, and the increase in strength his master gave it was noticeable. He had just gotten used to what he was dubbing level two of his training seal when his master stated that he would need to learn how to make use of his increased speed and precision in battle.

The process involved getting used to level one to the point that there was no resistance at all. That took a whole six months of training. Level two of the seal was exponentially more difficult and it took him well over a year to adapt to it. Now, after sixteen months since level two seal training began, his master adopted a new training method. Sensei would have him return down to level one to test out and train with his increased speed, and then go back to level two at the end. Each time his pain was redoubled, and he hated life the next morning. Still the difference in his movement speed and precision was beyond incredible. It took him about five minutes to adjust to his increased speed, but once he felt comfortable that he wouldn't hurt himself Yurushi discovered just how advanced he was for his age.

The heat of summer was beginning to wane a little, as autumn was beginning to show its colors. His master had noted that the climate in this country stayed rather temperate year round, but on rare occasion the winter season was harsh. Hi no Kuni was a country that his master avoided as much as possible, but there were a few wares that he needed to purchase which could only be found inside the expansive borders of the land. A special type of wood that Katsushiro-sensei believed made the best scabbards money could buy. Either way, Yurushi rarely went to town with his master. His teacher would usually give him an assignment or training exercise to accomplish by the time he returned.

With a keen eye and careful inspection of his wakizashi he tried to find any signs of the blade's weakness. The samurai's Chakra Sabre technique was difficult, but he was beginning to get the hang of the basics. His master was far better at using it though. Sensei was able to project his chakra, allowing the mystical energy to encompass the blade. From there he could double the length of his sword's effective range, change the shape of the chakra that surrounded it, or even unleash it upon a distant target. Yurushi was only able to project his own chakra into his sword, and could not complete the base technique on his own yet. Still, the skill he acquired served the great purpose of preserving the integrity of his sword's construction. His master said this technique is learned as a rite of passage for a Samurai so that they do not have to deal with a broken sword in battle. Without this ability, even the best made katana might not survive true combat.

Gliding his left hand along the smooth surface of the metal, Yurushi found the blade to his liking. Sword sheathed, he saw something strange on his hand. He hadn't even noticed the cut that now bled freely from his open palm. The plasma flowed as a brook, running gently along every fold of skin. His hand now served to guide the red river as it marched, carving out its path looking to find its final home. It was just like that night. His hands would never be clean now.

Reaching for his canteen, Yurushi used the water inside to wash away the blood that had begun to pool in his palm. The cool wet sensation did little to heal the injury, but it wiped away the emotions that were already resurfacing in the back of his mind. They would return. Just as the blood would return until the wound scabbed over. Nothing would be the same again. Even the scar that formed would be a reminder. The boy rose and searched through the supplies left behind in his master's cart. A discarded cloth would serve as a bandage well enough. Tying the fabric around his hand, he did his best to forget.

He had a job to do. His Sensei gave him a task. This injury would be no excuse, and neither was the lack of time wasted by treating it. His Sensei's expectations and training were all that mattered right now. Everything else could wait until later. He set off to accomplish the task left for him vowing to deal with the issues floating up into his conscious thoughts. Yurushi swore to deal with them some other time; knowing that he would try to never touch them again.

* * *

The village square was calm, but busy. People moved from stand to stand buying and selling that which they needed for daily life. It was a small village, but it prospered with the success of the lumber mill that was started there. Katsushiro was not used to being noticed during his trips to town. Over the past two decades, his life depended on him keeping a low profile. More recently, the life of his young charge was also dependent on his ability to blend in with the crowd. Now people recognized that he was out of place.

He was not a true stranger to this town. His alias had been well received by its citizens in the past, but he also did not go out of his way to make friends with any of the populace. This town was a hotspot for information. He did not lie to his young disciple when he told them they had the highest quality lumber he could find, but that was a convenient cover. This was a border village, and was very well patrolled by the shinobi of Konohagakure. Due to the constant changing of the guard, many of the shopkeepers and weapon smiths were somewhat well versed in the gossip coming out of the hidden village of Hi no Kuni. Today, however, they were silent.

There was a hard stare toward him coming from a kind woman who had sold him rice during his last stay. She always bore a gentle smile in the past, but now there was distrust in her eyes. Several other vendors treated him with trepidation, as if he would lash out at them at a moments' notice. Granted, it had been nearly two years since he had last paid a visit so unfamiliarity was to be expected, but this was different. It was quite obvious that something happened during that time away, but the question of what exactly had occurred lingered in the air.

The store was well marked, and a welcome sight as Katsushiro navigated through a crowd whose eyes honed in on him. A bell rang when he opened the door, and was greeted by smells of freshly cut wood. The pines, elms, and maples were strong and the visions of industry and growth were blended with that of a woodland home in his olfactory triggered memories. It was the smell of safety. It was the safety that was provided by a home and bought by the sword. His daydreaming was cut short by a hurried greeting that was likely directed at him.

"Ah, welcome back Kambei-sama," the man stated excitedly. He was a shrewd business man, but he was honest and had an eye for good quality. "I had to sell the original order I had reserved for you, but I just acquired a new shipment last night. I shall fetch the finest lumber I have in order to make it up to you."

"There is no need for such formalities Daichi-san. The usual order is enough," Katsushiro, or rather _Kambei_, answered as the slightly portly man disappeared into his store room. He didn't care much for the exaggerated formality Daichi gave him, but it was out of respect so he allowed it. He also didn't feel like protesting it after the first argument they had on the subject. If people deem you to be worthy of honor they will give it to you whether you want it or not. Besides, it was _Kambei_ who was being honored and not truly himself.

The man returned with the desired product in his arms. Inspecting his purchase, Katsushiro noticed the pattern of the grain and the evenness of the cut. The wood was naturally tensile, but it was remarkably sturdy. Once it was carved and then painted or polished it was easy to maintain. While a scabbard made of this wood would not hold up as a guard against another katana, there was another property that made it quite valuable. The species of tree that the wood came from was one of the few that allowed for an easy use of chakra flow techniques. Metal can be forged in ways that allowed for chakra to be channeled through it, but for it to occur in living organic matter was a rarity. Things blessed with life in any form had a tendency to resist chakra not its own, as the theory goes.

"As usual Daichi-san, you have only the finest," Katsushiro admitted warmly.

"Well, that is my lifelong reputation and I would be remiss not to uphold it," the portly man said smugly as he began to package the materials for sale and ease of transport.

"I have noticed that the people around here have been somewhat less approachable than I remember them being. Did something happen to cause this?" Katsushiro asked knowing that it was best to be direct with Daichi. A businessman of Daichi's caliber has no time to waste with indirect speech.

"It was no major event or catastrophe if that is what you were thinking," Daichi responded. "Recently there has been an increase in the patrols in this area. Strange people show up and that puts the ninja on edge, which then puts the townspeople on edge. So, some of that may just be the general distrust of a stranger."

"But that isn't the whole story is it?" Katsushiro asked knowingly. Of course it wasn't the whole story. Even a few of the regular shinobi patrolling this village knew his face and recognized the name Kambei.

"No. I am afraid that the reputation that you had established here may have been called into question Kambei-sama," Daichi confirmed with a frown.

"Is that so," Katsushiro answered. This was disturbing. Had his absence really made the people he had established a good rapport with begin to distrust him? No, that wouldn't make sense given the kindhearted nature of the people here. Something specific would have had to take place for people to call his character into question. Did they find out that he had been lying to them about who he was? No, _Kambei_ may as well be a real person with an established identity and a traceable history. All physical resemblance to Katsushiro was painstakingly hidden when trips into town were made. The number of people alive who could make the connections could be counted on one hand. None of them lived anywhere near here.

"Indeed," Daichi started to drawl as if he were nervous about the subject. "It was nearly five months ago that a man came looking for you by name. This was nothing too strange, as I have gotten several referrals for your wears. This man was strange though. He had fearsome, unnatural eyes. I honestly thought he was going to eat me with the way he licked his lips."

"Who was this man?" Katsushiro tried to not sound disturbed.

"I never bothered to ask for his name, and he wasn't too concerned when I told him that I believed you were dead because you missed picking up your shipment by over 7 months. He simply said that he may return looking for you," the large man elaborated.

"What did he want me for?" The former samurai asked. He was trying to stay calm, but if he could figure out who was looking for him then it would ease his mind from the fear of being discovered.

The man stroked the tip of his fingers against his chin in recollection. "If I remember correctly he was looking for something that an old friend of yours had left with you. He said that he was hoping that you could return it to him, but never said what it was."

"What were his defining features?" Katsushiro was hiding the fear steadily growing inside of him. Had they found him? Perhaps, but if they were following the trail that Kambei had left then they were at least a year behind him. Still, one fact weight heavily on his mind: someone had connected the dots and was hunting him down. There was only one person who would be interested in killing him, but it didn't sound like they were after him.

"He had long black hair and I swear that his eyes seemed to be a rich gold color, or something resembling honey, but I'm not sure. It was so long ago, and I don't remember much of his face beyond those terrible eyes. Also, he was an uncommonly tall man. There was an unusual cloak. It was black, and adorned with red clouds, but that is all that I can be sure of," the man stated.

"I see," Katsushiro was making the short list of suspects. The issue being that the membership had drastically changed over the years. At least it wasn't the man that he had feared, but that fact alone didn't help much. In this case, the unknown was much more terrifying. "Was there anything else?"

"Nothing else from that man, but what happened about a month after he left made people really call you into question," Daichi started. "You see after that man left Jiraiya-sama came into town looking for any information about the man who had been looking for you."

"Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Katsushiro was nothing but curious. Was Jiraiya looking for information on Akatsuki? No, Akatsuki was a small group. Big names perhaps, but it is a small group. They wouldn't be worth Jiraiya's time or energy. Not yet at least. The man was a notorious womanizer, author, ninja, but the only information that he seemed to have an ear for was information about the other two legendary ninja he had once called teammates. It is possible that he had heard of Akatsuki, but from all Katsushiro could tell there was no reason Jiraiya should have an interest in them. Perhaps the legendary ninja just wanted to be a step ahead and grab any available information on the group, just in case.

"Indeed," Daichi confirmed. "With a strange and shady character looking for you and then Jiraiya-sama looking for him, many people around here came to the conclusion that you kept the sort of company that causes problems. People around here don't like taking chances on people who could cause trouble. The Konoha shinobi cause us enough grief, and many of us don't appreciate any more of it."

"Then why did you accept my business Diachi-san?" Katsushiro was fairly curious. The large man sounded aggravated, as if Katsushiro had done something wrong against him. With Akatsuki on his trail Katsushiro had to make sure that he kept the few allies he had left. At the very least he had to make sure that Diachi would not sell him out. One way or another, the man would have to stay silent. Whether or not that silence was voluntary would be entirely up to the businessman.

"Simple, you are a loyal customer and you pay in advance," the man answered matter-of-factly. "There is no sense in chasing away a good customer. It's just bad business."

"Do you trust me?" Katsushiro asked tentatively.

"But of course. A samurai of your skill has certainly made powerful enemies over the years," man began to elaborate. "Apparently one of those enemies has decided to come back for revenge or something to that affect. I may not be a samurai, but even in the world of business it is easy to understand how irrational an enemy can be when revenge is on their mind."

"Thank you for that understanding," Katsushiro answered feeling a weight removed from his chest. Breathing easier he took the package he had purchased. Withdrawing a healthy sum of ryō and placing on the counter before him he drew the stout man's attention. "Please, take this for your troubles."

"Kambei-sama it was no trouble at all. I can't accept this from you," Diachi stated. Of course, he _would_ be a shrewd businessman with morals. Apparently he could not pickup subtle social clues either. Not exactly what Katsushiro had been expecting.

"Diachi-san, I wasn't making an offer, and it wasn't a request," _Kambei_ answered sternly. "Perhaps you will understand this. I was never here, you never saw me, and I am dead as far as you know."

"I see," Diachi said thoughtfully. The man, by the look on his face, was clearly trying to discern what this might mean without being too nosey. "Is it that bad?"

"Let's just say that I am surprised you are still alive," Katsushiro answered with all seriousness. "Your business was much appreciated, but I simply cannot put your life in further jeopardy. Should I return then you will have nothing to fear, but until this is over I will not be back. I hope your business will not suffer in my absence."

"It has been an honor Kambei-sama," Diachi said with a short bow.

"The honor has been mine Diachi-san," Katsushiro returned the bow and left the store. If the Akatsuki had picked up his trail then things were getting dangerous; perhaps far too dangerous. He was deep in thought while walking toward the village gates. Mentally he ran through his inventory of supplies, food, weapons, and other necessities. The trip here was strictly business, but it may be a while before another opportunity to restock came around.

The boy was the biggest factor right now. Yurushi's training had progressed steadily over the years. Now that he was adapting to the seal that had been placed on him, Yurushi was growing exponentially. In time he could rival the skill of the samurai of Tetsu no Kuni, and perhaps even Mifune himself. That would be years away, and Yurushi was never meant to become a samurai. That was not his destiny. The question that floated around Katsushiro's mind as he wandered toward the edge of the town square was a simple one. Was Yurushi ready for the next stage? Training him as a samurai provided a solid foundation, but there would be things he would have to relearn, and habits he would have to break if the boy were to survive.

Shadows and lies were what awaited him. Such a world was not fit for a samurai. If Yurushi was not ready to handle it then all he would receive would be a knife in the dark. It would be a swift and bloody end for a clan that was barely clinging to existence. With the Akatsuki on the move, however, there was little other option. The boy would have to go. At least he would not be alone, and he would have family to watch over him. It would have been a better place for the kid to grow up, but Akane had been clear in her desire for Katsushiro to train her son.

The gates were humble. Not a true defense, but the village was not very defensible. If an enemy wanted to take it, they would succeed. The walls were weak, the guard was few, trees limited the view of the watch, a river cut through the heart of the town, and the leadership was weak-willed. The only real advantage was that this village was a valuable resource, and as such it would be captured and not raised. No matter the tyrant that controlled it, the people would maintain the majority of their everyday lives. With a quiet confidence Katsushiro strode past the meager number of shinobi serving as a guard. He stopped briefly as they checked him and the supplies he was taking, and left the small city behind.

The path out of the village was an empty and the noonday sun shone between the leaves of the trees. Trees lined the path on both sides, but something was different about a few on his right. Markings were made on two that he could see. If his suspicion was correct then there were other trees with similar markings. Yurushi seemed to have accomplished his task. Quality would be in question now. The first tree came into view, and the markings grew in clarity. The markings became scratches upon the bark, and the scratches became carefully carved characters.

_Open roads ahead_

The first line of the poem read as it was displayed on the tree. The characters were cut cleanly into the wood. Rubbing a hand against the tree the surface felt smooth. The bark wasn't extremely rough or broken, and this made it easier to carve. What would have been brushstrokes on paper were precise strikes with a blade against the tree. The kanji were carved with great precision and accuracy, proving the skill the boy had with a sword. Quickly, Katsushiro moved to the second tree that was similarly marked.

_The westward wind takes flight_

The quality in the second tree was identical to the first. It was a show of consistency. It was a testament to the boy's ability to not give in or let up when the fight had begun. He showed tenacity, a focus, and a drive that was reflected in the work he had done in the second tree. Yurushi would need such things in the years to come. Many would have slacked off, or become lax. Yurushi remained vigilant and set on his goal. A wonderful trait if one was not prone to tunnel vision. Moving on, he studied the words on the third tree as he approached.

_Trees waving fair well_

The third tree had the same quality work as the first two. Katsushiro had instructed his young student not to stop until the poem was carved out, not to sharpen his sword if it became dull, and not to replace it if it broke. The continued quality proved two things. First, it showed off the great endurance that the Uzumaki clan had been known for. Anyone else near the boy's age would have been unable to maintain such a pace. The chakra flow technique of the samurai was difficult for a child to maintain. This reason was the second proof of the boy's skill. The preteen was able to utilize an intensive technique for an extended period of time. While he could not perform the true Samurai Sabre Technique, Yurushi was able to use it to an extent that kept his blade from breaking easily or dulling too quickly.

The craftsmanship was quality, and the poem wasn't half bad either. Perhaps the boy was ready after all. Picking up his pace on the main road Katsushiro gathered his thoughts. The Akatsuki lie in wait. Whether they were after him or his young pupil was unknown. It was an irrelevant notion considering that either way his disciple could not stay in his care any longer. Katsushiro could not defend him against the full might of the Akatsuki, and Yurushi would be a hindrance in avoiding their detection. It was no longer safe for him to stay. Turning back he looked at the village. Trying to create a new alias by which he could acquire his valuable materials would be difficult and time consuming. Nothing passable came to mind, but it was something that would have to be worked out for his continued survival. Something caught his eye as he was returning his gaze back toward camp.

On the other side of the road, facing away from the village gates there were three trees that bore similar markings as the ones Yurushi had carved into. The lines were spaced as evenly as Yurushi's and bore his swordsmanship. The poem that was engraved on their surface even held his writing style. The child had gone above and beyond what was asked of him. Katsushiro wondered if Yurushi had sharpened his sword for the second poem, but it didn't matter much. At a glance, the same level of skill was displayed in the second poem as was the first.

_A long journey's end_

_Candlelight in the window_

_The sweet smells of home_

"Yes," Katsushiro said to no one in particular as a small smile grew on his face. "The boy is ready to go to Konoha."

* * *

Late morning brought a great deal of activity. It was always a peaceful time watching the people passing by. They moved from shop to shop, street to street, and house to house going about their business. Many of them were so happy to be alive. It would be great to join them, but that is only asking for trouble. Trouble always started when he tried to join in on their fun.

It was nothing serious. Most of the time they would send hate filled stares toward him, and that was if they acknowledged him at all. Whenever they could, as often as they could, for as long as they could, the people of his home town would act like he never existed. They would ignore him when he spoke, and would never recognize his actions. For a brief time he tried his hardest to always be on his best behavior, but that didn't get him any of the attention that he wanted.

'_I sure showed them that I won't be ignored,_' a small boy thought to himself as he spotted his target.

It was a plain four story building. Nothing was special about it. It had a large double door at the entrance, rows of windows on every floor, and at the moment it was filled with all sorts of different people. He had spent most of last night studying the layout of the building with the blueprints in the public archives. This would take all of his skill to pull off, but if he succeeded then they would have to acknowledge that he was a great ninja.

With cerulean eyes focused on his objective he ran over his entry plan.

'_Main entrance always has people going in and out, so using that would make them wonder what I'm doing. The windows are a special kind of mirror or something, so they can see me coming if I don't take the right approach. It is a pretty new building with a central cooling system so I can slip in through the air ducts. I just have to be careful not to get caught by any of those stupid chūnin,_' the blond haired boy thought with a smile as he had his diversion already planned out. His diversion was perfect to keep several of the various run of the mill ninja busy for several hours while he accomplished his own little mission.

He had to save up for this one. Not that this was much of a problem given that the Hokage made sure he had all the essentials for daily living. The money that he received to purchase what he needed was enough, but just enough. There wasn't much extra, but what he had to save up to pull this prank off was no sacrifice he wouldn't make again. Besides any excuse to buy nothing but instant ramen was more than welcome. If he pulled this off, then he would have to splurge on the good stuff. Wiping the drool collecting on his mouth from thoughts of Ramen Ichiraku, he began to check his supplies.

He pulled out a scroll from his jacket pocket. There was some crazy pattern drawn on it. He had no idea how it worked, but it was one of the most useful things he learned in his class at the Ninja Academy. This fancy piece of art would store just about anything inside of a scroll if chakra was applied. Using chakra on it when something was sealed inside would release the item. Doing so, a small puff of smoke burst forth from the scroll and dispersed revealing a rather large fish. He had purchased the fish late last night. He had to do all of his shopping late at night just moments before the store closed. If he went early they would ignore him until closing time. They would always take his money and give him his stuff, but he always had to wait. If they refused to serve him or tried to overcharge him, then the Hokage showed up. If the Hokage showed up then the store would be closed within a week. People always did just enough to make sure the Hokage never showed up.

'_Stupid jerks think I'm an idiot. Well, I showed them. I beat their little game and just do all my shopping before they close so they can't ignore me and waste my time,_' he thought as he sealed the fish back into the scroll.

He abandoned his post and jumped from rooftop to rooftop across the village until he came to a particular building. It was old, and rundown, and never used. It was the perfect staging area. He walked into the building as the door creaked open. The wood of the floor strained underneath his every step. It was nearly impossible to be stealthy in here, but the building was far enough away from the Chūnin Command Center that they wouldn't think to look for something out of the ordinary here. It was also close enough that if this decrepit building were to catch on fire, then at least every Chūnin on break would be sent here to put the fire out.

He was no arsonist though, so that was what smoke grenades were for. He lost count of how many he had gathered, but it had to be at least a hundred, or five. Who knows? He tried to count them but gave up after fifty eight. He had unwittingly tricked his Sensei at the Academy, Iruka, into helping him rig these things to detonate in timed intervals. The poor guy thought that he was helping to advance the mischievous child's knowledge of stealth techniques. He was, in fact doing just that, but he would never have agreed to help had he known what the knowledge was going to be used for. Iruka-sensei would give him an earful for it when he heard about this, but the boy suspected his teacher was secretly amused by his antics. Why else would the man spend so much of his free time with him? Surely the guy had family or something, and if his teacher didn't like the pranks then he wouldn't spend so much time away from his family. Would he?

'_He seems so happy. There is no way that he could be all alone like I am,_' he shook his head to remove the depressing trail of thought. The life of an orphan was a challenging one. The worst part of it was the abject loneliness. The rest of the village doing their best to pretend he didn't exist didn't help matters either. Still, at least his teacher gave him the time of day. Even if it was simply to yell at him for pulling stupid pranks it felt good to be treated like he was alive, like he was human.

He applied chakra to the beginning of a very intricate collection of drawings that littered the warehouse floor. According to Iruka-sensei the technique was pretty basic stuff that most chūnin could learn, but none of it, not a single word was understood by the child. It was all far too complex for him to understand, but he knew when something was useful. The first couple of smoke grenades went off and that was the signal. He would have anywhere between five and ten minutes to get into position before he could enact the next phase of his plan.

Leaving the building the blond kid took to the rooftops once more, but this time from a different path. Approaching the Chūnin Command Center from the eastern side was the better approach. Wearing his trademark orange jacket and pants, and with the sun still climbing in the sky he would be much less noticeable to anyone who may happen to look out the window. The eastern part of the building backed into an alleyway system for several of the surrounding buildings so there would be less foot traffic to deal with. Fewer people walking around meant fewer eyes to possibly spot him. Landing on the roof of the building adjacent he took a moment to collect himself. The building he stood on now, was a story taller than the Command Center and so it was a simple jump down. Walking toward the edge, he carefully peered over to see if there was anyone standing around either on the roof or the ground below. Seeing no one, the boy took several steps back before running to the edge and leaping into the air. He landed on his desired destination with a tuck and roll.

He turned to see a small column of smoke rising in the horizon. Not enough to draw suspicion, but if it kept up for a few more minutes, then a team would be sent to investigate. Moving quickly he removed the grating cover on the duct system with a kunai knife. Crawling inside, he maneuvered the grating back into place. It wasn't as firmly attached, but it simply had to look like all things were ordinary to the passerby.

'_Alright, phase one complete,_' he thought victoriously as he turned around within the tight confines of the building's ventilation system. '_Now, on to phase two._'

Perhaps the only benefit of being so small for his age was that he could fit into small places like this easily. Just barely pushing a meter and a half in height and just shy of eighty pounds were the measurements of a shrimp according to a few classmates who enjoyed picking on him for his small stature. Yet such a size allowed for him to move freely about the duct system without causing too much noise. He approached the first drop off. Planting feet and hands firmly against the sides of the compact metal tunnel, he descended slowly to the second floor.

Reaching the connecting duct in his way to his target, he maneuvered himself into the new network of tunnels. The tubing broke off in two directions as it wrapped around the building. His destination was somewhere on the left hand side when the duct work split off. Or, perhaps it was the right hand side. He went with his gut, and his gut told him the right.

He crawled toward the end of vents and on the right hand side there was another grate. He dare not look through since there was a light on in the room, and possibly people who might see him. He could hear hushed noises. Murmurs and whispers of people talking about something, what he could not tell, but he could hear them. There was an occasional laugh every once in a while. There was also a consistent mention of a name, it sounded like they were speaking of a person named Kō. Apparently, he was far too rigid and by the book for these people. Impatiently the blond haired boy waited for something. He was beginning to wonder if his distraction had failed. He hoped not because his back-up plan wasn't as funny as he wanted it to be, and getting out would be much more difficult if the chūnin weren't preoccupied. Suddenly, there were sounds a burst of activity.

"Guys, there is a bunch of smoke coming from that abandoned storehouse a few blocks south. We need a team to go check it out. If it caught on fire, then we can't let it spread," someone said loudly.

'_Jackpot! It worked like a charm. Now these guys will go running out and I can get to work,_' the boy thought with excitement as his plan was really coming together.

The sound of people leaving the room in haste followed shortly, and the lights clicked off. Looking over into the room through the grating, the boy confirmed that it was empty. Removing the vent cover he climbed down to the floor and set his sights on the location of a suitable target. The couch against the wall on the opposite end of the room called to him with the sounds of a heavenly chorus. Drawing the scroll from his pocket he placed it on a nearby table. He unsealed the fish from the scroll and ran to where the couch was. He grabbed the middle cushion of the couch and returned to the table. He unzipped the cushion cover and placed the fish inside. He tried to reposition the fish within the cushion's stuffing so it would not be noticeable to anyone who sat on it.

Returning the cushion where it belonged, he sat down to test it out, and then proceeded to examine the cushion itself. It looked like nothing had been touched, or at least it looked like nothing was worth noting. Grinning, and barely containing his laughter he gathered his now empty storage scroll and climbed back into the vent system. Crawling back out the same way he came in was a bit more difficult, but well worth the effort. He could hardly control himself thinking of how it would be days before the smell began to become unbearable within the largest break room of the Chūnin Command Center. With luck, it would be weeks before they found the source, and by that time the smell would linger for months. It was beautiful, truly beautiful.

'_That'll teach those guys to think I could never become a ninja,_' he thought to himself as he climbed back onto an empty roof. Replacing the vent cover he turned to find his heart had stopped beating out of fear. Before him stood a man, armed with a sword on his back, and wearing a bear faced mask. He was staring at him, through him, and maybe even inside of him. It was utterly terrifying.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the intimidating man said with cold sternness.

"Y-y-yes," Naruto answered while trying to gulp down the rising fear.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately," the masked ninja stated and vanished into thin air.

'_Well crap,_' Naruto whined in his thoughts. '_That ol' geezer somehow found out about what I was doing. How that old goat knows all this stuff is crazy. How the heck am I supposed to pull off any master pranks if he always knows about what I'm doing?_'

With nothing else left, Naruto left for the large tower toward the base of a large cliff on the edge of the village. It was where the Hokage's office was, a place with which Uzumaki Naruto was intimately familiar.

* * *

Yurushi stood quietly as his master spoke with an elder in the village. The office they were in was cozy. The desk was well worn and piled with papers, files, and various scrolls. The elder was obviously someone of great importance in the village. He couldn't quite remember, but Yurushi believed that his Sensei had said that the elder was the Hokage of the village. Some sort of rank or title that was clearly a significant role in village leadership.

The Hokage and Katsushiro exchanged words in hushed tones. Shock was written on the elder's face when Yurushi's Sensei explained the nature of their arrival. The only information that Yurushi heard them exchange was the name Uzumaki. It was about him, and Yurushi felt awkward standing their while people were speaking of him in secret. It wasn't entirely about him, but what the other parts of the conversation were about had been kept from his prying ears.

It was rather sudden change of scenery that his master decided to make. Not long ago Katsushiro-sensei had picked up a shipment in a small village on the border of Hi no Kuni, and life felt rather carefree. After his return, Katsushiro packed up the bare essential supplies needed for survival and they began to hike through the dense forests of the country. His master had even abandoned his kart two hours into the hike, saying that speed and subtlety were of the utmost importance. Their trip was made through the wild traversing no roads and encountering no signs of civilization. They stopped only to eat and sleep for brief moments. Yurushi had even learned how to travel by jumping from tree branch to tree branch. It was a method of travel typical of the ninja who called this land home.

Three days later they encountered a masked ninja who questioned them about their business and reasons for travelling through the forest rather than the main road. It was some measure of safety protocol, and Katsushiro-sensei explained that it was nothing to worry about. Hidden villages, by their nature, were very wary of those who were not well established citizens. Yurushi could make no sense of his master's behavior. It was entirely out of character. First, there was the worry, almost fear that Katsushiro-sensei seemed to exude. Then, there was the lack of answers to Yurushi's questions on the matter. The only answer that was given was that answers would come in time. Lastly, there was the fact that Yurushi's master gave out both of their actual names when asked. Yurushi rarely accompanied his master into any village, but the times he did aliases were used instead of their true names.

Whatever was going on was serious business. The sudden shift in his master's personality was clear evidence of that. Though, he couldn't help but wonder what all the fuss was about. He was in the dark, and had no other option but to wait patiently for someone to shed some light on his all too curious mind.

"Yurushi," his master said breaking the boy from his mental reverie. "Come with me for a moment."

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi answered and followed his master out of the room. With a look back into the office he saw the old man smile gently towards him. The Hokage seemed to be a kind soul. Yurushi followed his Sensei down the hall, and his eyes saw something intriguing. It was a boy roughly his own age, with bright blond hair and feral marks on his cheeks. They almost looked like whiskers, which would be better placed on an animal than a blue eyed child. Their eyes met, and the strange boy smiled widely as he passed on by. Yurushi was brought back into his surroundings when his Sensei stopped suddenly causing the boy to bump into his master.

"Yurushi, I need you to listen carefully," Katsushiro said with all seriousness on his face after he turned around. "I have enrolled you in the Ninja Academy here in Konohagakure. Classes have already begun for the year and you will have to take an entrance examination so they may properly place you. Even with my limited knowledge of the ninja arts you should be quite advanced for someone of your age. You have learned everything that I have to teach you, and it is time that you move on to the final stage of your training."

"I will do my best Sensei," Yurushi answered.

"I know you will," his master confirmed the sentiment and kneeled down to look him in the eye. Yurushi was a little unnerved by his master's sudden closeness, but needed to focus on what Katsushiro-sensei would tell him. "In a moment you will speak with the Hokage, and he will inform you where you will be living and who you will be staying with. You have family in this village, and I am quite certain they are eager to meet you. Do you have the pack that I gave you before we got here?"

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi answered, but he didn't like the direction that this conversation was heading. It almost sounded as if Katsushiro-sensei was going to be leaving him here in this strange village. "Where are you going to be staying Sensei?"

"I will be leaving," Yurushi couldn't believe his ears. His master was leaving him here? That couldn't be right. He had to have heard that wrong because his master would never abandon him. Would he?

"But, but you can't leave," Yurushi demanded quietly. Perhaps his master didn't understand the nature of their relationship quite like he did. It was a silent understanding that Yurushi had, and never discussed with his Sensei. Katsushiro-sensei was his father for all intents and purposes. The words were never uttered, but maybe, just maybe, if Yurushi told him then he would understand. "You can't leave me. You're my otou-"

"No," Katsushiro interrupted with force. He turned his face, but Katsushiro-sensei was clearly disturbed by this development in their conversation. Eyes met, as Sensei continued. "Yurushi, please understand me. I am not the man you want me to be. I can be your Sensei, I can be your mentor, I can even be your friend, but father is not a title I am worthy of. It is time I explained why we came here. We are here to hide you from my enemies. I believe they have found me and will try to hunt me down again. There is also the possibility that the same people who killed your mother are looking for you. This is a precaution against both of those threats. Your training was a safeguard against the chance they would try to find you."

"I understand Sensei," Yurushi said with all of his willpower focused on holding back the wellspring of tears. He wasn't too sure he was succeeding, but he was trying nonetheless. Wiping off his face on his sleeve, Yurushi attempted pulling himself together. His Sensei had said that time spent on tears was time wasted, and would have been better spent solving the problems that caused those tears. There was no answer that Yurushi could find for this particular problem. Perhaps hindsight would bring clarity.

"Listen carefully boy, I have a few more things I need to tell you and they are important," Katsushiro spoke, calming the growing anxiety Yurushi was in if only for a moment. His master seemed to be looking around as if to see if anyone was watching them. "The bag I gave you contains all of the personal affects that your mother wanted you to have. The various scrolls are of the utmost importance. They are perhaps the last and most complete library on the fūinjutsu techniques of the Uzumaki clan. Wars have been started over less trivial things, and if you do not guard over them carefully then someone may try to take them from you. The Hokage knows of them so that he can help you keep them safe, but you should tell no one else unless you could trust them with your life."

His sensei was dressed rather formally today. Not only did he wear his nicest Kimono, but he also wore his haori, which he avoided wearing as often as possible. His sensei drew something out of the long dress coat and held it in front of Yurushi. "This particular scroll is very important," his master began. "Your mother told me that this was the key. I have researched its meaning and purpose to the extent of my knowledge, but I must confess that the sealing arts are largely beyond my ability. This is yours, and in time you may discover its purpose."

Yurushi looked at the man as he stood. This was the man whom had been his only friend and family for his entire life, and now he was leaving. Katsushiro-sensei was leaving him all alone in the care of strangers, just like his mother had done with him some ten years ago. Had Kami-sama cursed him to never know what it was like to have a real family?

"There was one last thing," Katsushiro said as he held aloft his sword, motioning for Yurushi to hold out his hands and receive the weapon. Yurushi was dumbfounded, but went through the motions that his master was requesting of him. "May this blade protect you and help you cut through the lies on your quest for truth."

In absolute shock Yurushi stood and watched as the man who had raised him disappeared from his sight and his life. More shocking than that, was the simple fact that he had been given his Sensei's katana. As tradition goes, a samurai master may give his sword to one of his students. It was a sign of succession, a statement saying the recipient would carry on in the master's stead. Under normal circumstances it was given just before the master died. Sensei wasn't going to die anytime soon, so why was he taking his master's blade? It was a question that begged for an answer.

'_Think_,' Yurushi thought in silent contemplation as he stared blankly at the sword. The weapon felt heavy in his hand. It was a burden he was unaccustomed to, a weight he was unfamiliar with. He would need time to adjust to it, to adapt it to his purposes. '_There is something to what Katsushiro-sensei said. He meant something about that._'

His Sensei handed him the sword and wanted the blade to protect him. Unsheathing the weapon he found the metal sterling. The katana had been well cared for, and if a sword is cared for it will take care of its wielder. Yurushi knew that he would take care of his master's sword. He would be diligent in training with it, and in time he would grow in skill; skill enough to defend himself against any threat. '_Sensei wants me to keep training and learning so I will be safe,_' he concluded as he shifted his focus to the sharpened edge of steel.

Cutting, slashing, and stabbing were all actions by which the sword could accomplish its job. The sword of a samurai was meant to defend the weak from evil and remove obstacles to justice. There was no higher purpose. The glory of battle and the honor of a warrior's death were all achieved through that purpose. War was a tool of last resort to route the malevolent forces which would seek to bring a reign of iniquity. '_Cut through the lies on my quest for truth,_' Yurushi pondered the meaning.

The only truth that he had a desire to know, but had eluded him thus far was the truth about his mother's disappearance. Sensei had maintained that his mother was no longer alive, but Yurushi clung to the hope that she was out there somewhere. '_Sensei is telling me to find the answers that I have been looking for, but what are the lies he is talking about?_' He wondered, but the only reasonable answer he came to was that somehow this village full of ninja knew the truth. Looking at himself in the reflection cast by the metal he held, Yurushi could feel the words of a poem forming in the back of his mind.

_Gleaming and unsheathed_

_Walk upon divergent paths_

_Passing off the torch_

"Boy," called a voice from behind him. Yurushi turned to see an intimidating man clad in dark colored armor and donning a mask resembling the face of a crane. "Hokage-sama wishes to speak with you in his office."

Nodding, Yurushi tucked his master's katana inside the obi of his kimono alongside his wakizashi and walked toward the Hokage's office. Beyond the threshold of his door lay the future. Each step was a step closer toward the truth, and the beginning of a journey that Yurushi was beginning to embrace as his destiny.

* * *

Naruto barged into the closed office, against the persistent requests of the secretary. The Hokage was never doing anything important when he dropped by anyway, so it was no big deal. Besides, he was summoned there so there was no point to wait outside the office when he was supposed to be inside.

"Hey old man, some ANBU said you wanted to see me," Naruto declared in a chipper tone and a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Naruto," the Hokage answered looking up from his desk. His weathered face bore a gentle grin. "I wanted to speak with you about something very important."

"Finally decided to admit I'm awesome and hand over that hat?" the blond boy asked only half joking. The old man wasn't just going to hand over the title Hokage, and Naruto understood that much. He needed to get people to acknowledge him as a great ninja before he could be Hokage, but before he could be acknowledged as a great ninja he would have acknowledged as a person. It didn't make much sense to the boy though. The easiest way to be noticed was to have a title or position of importance, and the only way to have a position of importance was to be noticed as being good at something. He was great at pulling pranks on people, but that didn't get him the kind of attention or acknowledgement that he desperately wanted.

"Now, now Naruto-kun," the older man chuckled. "I have a few good years still left. I hope you don't want me to leave too soon."

"Nah," Naruto responded. "I guess you can stick around for a while. I should probably graduate from the Academy at least, just to keep appearances up and all."

"Yes now you are thinking like a Hokage. We can't let others think our village is weak because our leader didn't finish school," the Hokage answered with joy in his eye.

"Well, I guess" Naruto responded in deep thought. He was trying to recall the main reason he had decided upon letting the old man stay in office. "I figured it would make you look bad to have me take over before I even got a chance to break all the records in the Academy."

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves Naruto," the older man quipped as he scratched the grey goatee on his chin. He quickly switched demeanors letting Naruto know that the time to joke around was over. "Something rather serious happened this afternoon."

The young boy tried to look casual, but he was sweating bullets. '_I'm busted. The old man's gonna kill me. What do I do? How can I get out of this one?_'

Naruto was avoiding eye contact like it was a plague, and was seriously considering jumping through the window as a viable means of escape. The weight of the unmet stare from the Hokage was causing him to crumble. Finally, collapse. "I didn't do it this time I swear!" Naruto blurted out loud out of pure anxiety.

"What, exactly, did you not do this time?" the elderly man responded. There was a look in his eye that clearly said '_I am the Sandaime Hokage, I already know what you did. I only want to know if you will be honest with me,_' and Naruto hated that look.

Defeated Naruto decided he would try to be as noncommittal with his answer hoping that maybe, just maybe the old man hadn't heard anything yet. Of course, it was an ANBU that had caught him and those guys were supposed to be some of the best ninja in the village. "Well, I may or may not have done something to the second floor lounge in the Chūnin Command Center."

"What else," the Hokage said expecting there to be more to that story.

"I also may or may not have led people to think that the old storehouse nearby had caught on fire," Naruto admitted.

"This falsified fire was to cover your entrance to the Command Center then?" The Hokage asked to confirm his suspicion.

"Yeah," the boy answered while staring into a blank spot on the wall. The old man was good. Naruto was reluctant to admit it, and would never say it to the elder's face, but he was really good at being a ninja. Even though the wide eyed blond had never seen him in action he could tell that the Sandaime was quite capable to handle anything that comes his way. It was in the way the old man carried himself.

"Might I ask why you would do such a thing?" The Hokage queried.

"Well there were some guys who had just left the Ichiraku when I went for dinner one night. They were bragging about how they had just become chūnin and when I told them that I was going to be Hokage they laughed at me and said that there was no way that I could ever be a ninja. So, I decided to prove them wrong." Naruto explained and the Hokage nodded his head in understanding.

"I expect you to undo whatever damage was done and apologize to all of those who were affected," the elderly man was looking at him with all seriousness. It was nothing new for Naruto, though. Most of his pranks had a similar punishment. The only problem was that this prank would have an incredible amount of clean up involved. The lounge would be pretty easy, but it may take him weeks to clean up that old storehouse.

'_Maybe I can get Iruka-sensei to teach me a really cool technique to speed things up. Then again, when he learns that what he taught me was used in the prank he might volunteer to make sure I clean that mess up the slow way,_' Naruto groaned to himself after agreeing to the terms of his surrender which the third leader of his home had required of him.

"While that was quite enlightening," the Hokage said standing up from his chair, "it was not what I called you here for."

There was a moment of silence and Naruto began to connect the context clues of what he had just heard. If one was quiet enough, the metaphorical hamster could be heard running quite vigorously on a small and squeaky wheel. "Wait a minute," Naruto said as the last pieces of the conversational puzzle were falling into place.

"You never knew about my prank at all!" Naruto shouted pointing an accusatory finger at the old man who was starting to smile victoriously. _'I can't believe I was duped by this old guy! I'm going to prank him so hard one of these days. I promise, I will find a way to get even with you old man. When I do I will make sure you will never be able to live it down! You better believe it!_' the mischievous orphan began to run a list of possibilities through his head knowing that developing the perfect prank against the Hokage would take years of careful planning and flawless execution. However, once the fires were lit and the promise made, then nothing would be able to stop him.

"No Naruto I did not know of your prank, but I am glad you felt compelled to be honest and up front with me. For that, a simple apology to those who have been affected by your antics today will suffice," the Hokage answered as he turned to overlook the village he ruled.

The elderly man lifted his hand in the air, twitched his fingers, and brought the hand back down to be clasped into his other hand behind his back. '_That was weird. I guess old people do weird things sometimes_,' Naruto was brought out of his own speculations when he heard the Hokage's voice again.

"What do you know of your name Naruto?"

"My name?" Naruto wondered aloud. It was a simple question, but Naruto didn't have much of an answer and had no clue what his name had to do with anything. "Not too much really. My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and that is about all I really needed to know I guess."

"The name Uzumaki belonged to a once great and powerful ninja clan. The clan itself was destroyed sometime after the Second Shinobi War, but a good number of the survivors came to live here in the village. I never told you anything about your clan because we honestly believed you were the last living member. That fact would not be important until much later in your life, so I was simply going to tell you what you needed to know once it became relevant. I also felt it was more important for you to become your own man and discover your own path rather than live up to a legacy of a clan long gone. It seems that I was wrong about my assumption though," the Sandaime said before turning around to look Naruto in the eye.

"Wrong about what?" Naruto questioned with a look of utter confusion was likely painted on his face. He really didn't understand why the Hokage was even talking about any of that. It didn't seem important.

A small knock on the door distracted the Hokage from his immediate answer calling for the guest to come into the office. Naruto looked at the boy who entered. He had seen him in the hallway moments before. The kid was about six or seven inches taller than him and had dark colored hair which was almost looked black when the light didn't hit it right, but the highlights held a dark tint of red. He wore a casual looking kimono which was grey in color along with a black hakama, and a matching haori. The formal coat had the same white spiral crest that he had seen emblazoned on a few of his own articles of clothing. It had the same design as the crest on the back of the flak jackets that were worn by several ninja in the village. The boy also had a pair of swords secured on his side. Naruto thought it was cool that he knew how to use a sword well enough to carry two of them. The most notable feature that Naruto saw on the kid was the grey-blue eyes. They were focused and determined, if just a bit sad. '_The other man he had been with earlier isn't here with him? The jerk must have just left him here all alone!_'

"Naruto," the Hokage spoke slightly catching the blond boy's attention, but not fully breaking his train of thought. "This is Uzumaki Yurushi."

Having grown up all by himself left Naruto quite hungry for attention and recognition, but it angered him to see the same thing happening to others. He resolved to help the kid out. To spend some time and show him the ropes, make sure he knows what the village is like, and feels comfortable with his new home in Konohagakure. '_Who knows? Maybe after I show him around he'll want to be my friend!_' Naruto thought excitedly until he processed what the village leader had been saying.

"Uzumaki? If he has the same family name as me, then that means," Naruto inferred hoping that the Hokage would confirm what he was starting to hope.

"Yes Naruto," the Hokage agreed "This is your cousin."

Uzumaki Yurushi stuck out a hand as a form of greeting, but even with his limited knowledge of normal familial relations, Naruto knew you greeted family with a hug. As such he practically tackled the strange kid with his embrace. When he disengaged he knew he had a look of absolute dopey joy spread all over his face. He scratched the back of his head grinning from ear to ear. Naruto knew he should have felt silly for acting like that, but he couldn't bring himself to care. How could he care about looking stupid? After years of being entirely alone he finally had a family of his own.


	4. Change of Course

**Chapter 4: Change of Course**

"I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught." - Winston Churchill

* * *

"Wake up," Yurushi said sternly.

Yurushi was getting aggravated. He wondered why at this point because words made no difference. Naruto continued to sleep, and each minute that passed was a minute that would be needed walking to the Ninja Academy. He may not yet be able to go to class, but it was the last day of his placement exam and he would not be late. Today they evaluate his basic combat skills, and if they did not have an accurate gauge of his abilities then they would not correctly place him.

"Naruto wake up! It is time to leave for the Academy," Yurushi repeated for the eighteenth time this morning.

Naruto snored, scratched his pajama covered rear end, and rolled over to continue sleeping. At the end of his rope, Yurushi grasped the hilt of his katana tightly. It hadn't even been a week since Yurushi had moved in with Naruto, but it was as if he had become the boy's parent. Naruto knew no responsibility whatsoever. This, as Yurushi understood, was due to a lack of supervision holding him responsible. Nevertheless, this song and dance would have to end. Drawing his master's sword, Yurushi quickly rapped the top of Naruto's nightcap clad head against the flat of the blade. It inflicted no lasting damage, but was just hard enough to sharply and painfully wake the sleeping blond.

"Hey! What's the big idea!" Naruto yelled while trying to rub the pain away.

"Oh I'm sorry, were you sleeping?" Yurushi decided playing dumb was a good way to divert his cousin's anger.

"You knew I was sleeping ya big jerk," Naruto grumbled.

"Well now that you are awake I guess we can go to the Academy together," Yurushi suggested trying to entice the younger kid into at least pretending to be interested in school.

"Why? It's not like I learn anything useful in there anyway. What good is knowing science and history going to be when I am trying to rescue a princess from a horde of bandits?" Naruto reasoned.

"You might be right about that. Perhaps not knowing how to determine the chemical composition of a poison those bandits used on the princess would better help you create an antidote. Or maybe not knowing that the near endless civil wars of Kirigakure have resulted in nearly half of all rogue ninja in the world come from said village will better help you remember that you have about a fifty-fifty shot of any given missing ninja being a Suiton user. Maybe you can become a great ninja by sleeping half the day away," Yurushi said sarcastically.

"Well, when you say it like that you kinda make me sound stupid," Naruto answered while getting dressed. The boy seemed to be fascinated with the color orange. It was an odd color for a ninja to wear, but Yurushi decided not to question it. Naruto was able to sneak into an official military building filled with chūnin ranked ninja with ease, and nobody seemed to notice him even with a bright orange outfit. Apparently the prank the blond had pulled the day Yurushi arrived in the village was far from the first one. Naruto was quite notorious as a prankster and remarkably stealthy at it as well.

"Stupid is as stupid does Naruto. You may not be an academic or a scholar, but you should at least try and apply yourself to your school work." Yurushi said as they walked out of the apartment. It was a small apartment, and a bit aged, but it was cozy and provided for by the village through a monthly stipend. It was the neighbors that Yurushi was most offended by. They would glare at Naruto with eyes full of hatred. Never once had he seen them act out violently, and Naruto never told him of a moment where they had, but it was worrisome.

"But it's so boring!" Naruto moaned and groaned loudly as they got to the main road, "and I don't get most of what they are trying to teach us."

The people who were on the street were hurriedly giving them wide berth as they walked by. Yurushi could hear their whispers. He knew not what they were saying, but they were talking. The eyes never left Naruto and the weight of their scorn was washing over Yurushi. Curiously, Naruto seemed unaffected by it. Perhaps he was simply used to them and chose to ignore it entirely.

"I can help if you need it," Yurushi offered.

"Really? You'll help me? Like, you will actually help me learn this stuff?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Yes. I wouldn't offer unless I meant it," Yurushi answered curious about the utter glee the blond had at the prospect of help. He was wondering if Naruto had always been neglected so tragically, and if so then what was the reason for it?

They walked in quiet. Side by side they travelled the urban maze to the school. It was reminiscent of the redhead's life on the road. He was silent, unless answering his cousin's questions. When not speaking mindlessly, Naruto smiled and hummed a happy little tune. As they neared the schoolyard Yurushi's curiosity had begun to eat away his hesitation as he asked "Naruto, why do the people of the village look at you with such hatred?"

"Hmm?" Naruto seemed to be returning from the fanciful world inside his head, "Oh that! I dunno, I never really noticed it."

A lie, clearly, and yet he did not seem to know the reason. Naruto was trying, and for the most part succeeding, to ignore the reckless hate that was being heaped upon him. Yurushi wanted to press further, but given that they had just about arrived to their destination he decided to save it for later. His examiner stood waiting for him by the tree in the courtyard. Waving him over, Yurushi complied and figured that the final portion of his exam would be outside.

"Good morning Iruka-sensei," Yurushi said with a slight bow. He wasn't comfortable calling other people Sensei, but it was the proper title for the man's status.

"Good morning to you Yurushi and it seems you even managed to bring Naruto with you," the older man replied with warmth in his voice. He sounded as though he was quite familiar with Naruto's antics, and the general pain the blond could be.

"Hey Iruka-sensei," Naruto greeted his instructor timidly. Scratching the back of his head with a slight smile was a sign the blue eyed rascal felt unnerved, and Yurushi had begun to pick up on several of Naruto's personality quirks. Naruto seemed to be worried about getting in trouble, which apparently was a common occurrence.

"I'm glad you decided to grace us with your presence." Iruka said with no lack of sarcasm in his voice. "You do remember where our class meets don't you?"

"Yeah I remember," Naruto answered grumpily at the teasing. "I'll see ya in there Iruka-sensei!"

"Well, this is a bit awkward. I won't actually be teaching today. Kind of a role reversal, but I'm not actually skipping class," Iruka stated with a chuckle.

"Whaddya mean Iruka-sensei?" The whisker faced boy asked.

"Well I'll be administering the final portion of the entrance examination to your cousin, so you'll have a substitute for today's class," the man explained. Yurushi wondered what exactly they would be looking for in this examination, but knew that answer would come quickly. The first part had been easy enough, but the proctor seemed less than pleased that his Sunday afternoon had been ruined by Yurushi's sudden arrival. The Hokage had explained that they needed to move the exam along as quickly as possible so the placement process could be finished by the week's end.

"I hope it isn't that lady with the curly hair and glasses," Naruto complained. His cousin, for as much grief as he could give any adult, seemed to be quite fond of Iruka. Amazingly enough, the feeling appeared to be mutual.

"Actually, Suzume-san is your sub for the day and I expect you to be on your best behavior or you will not enjoy the consequences," Iruka threatened.

Naruto flinched in terror and gave Iruka his word that he would behave. He offered a wave and a good luck to Yurushi before heading off. Yurushi smiled gently.

"That cousin of yours is something else," Iruka said.

"Yeah, he's different, but in a good way I think," Yurushi agreed and began to steel himself preparing for the challenges of the day.

* * *

"Now class," the instructor began, "today's lesson is an important one. We will begin talking about the Shinobi Rules."

Neji groaned inwardly. He was a Hyūga, a lowly branch member, but a proud Hyūga nonetheless. He had already learned all of the Shinobi Rules. Now he would have to find a way to kill time until they reach the either the history, mathematics, or ninjutsu portion of today's lesson. The easiest way for Neji to kill time was to be productive, and the most productive thing he could do was train. The easiest thing he could train, without disturbing the rest of the class, was his eyes.

His eyes were the birthright of the Hyūga clan, and the very thing which fate had decreed him to have. They were both a blessing and a curse. The blessing that his eyes were the Byakugan, the most powerful dōjutsu that Konohagakure held in its ranks. The all seeing white eye was able to a variety of wonderful things that created some powerful shinobi. It allowed for near three hundred and sixty degree vision, telescopic sight, the ability to see through most solid objects, perceive high speed movement, and most importantly see the chakra pathway system.

Neji activated the power of his eyes and he began to see the world for what it truly was. He felt blind when not using the Byakugan, but had been learning the importance of not overly relying on one thing. He could see the entirety of his class. Girls were swooning over him as secretly as they could. They passed notes between one another talking about how dreamy his long, black hair was, or how good he was at taijutsu. It sickened him. If they insisted on playing foolish games, then clearly their fate was to fail as ninja. Their time would be better served learning their parent's trade. Especially the boy in martial artists' gi, that child was hopeless. He had no skills as a ninja whatsoever. Should he manage to defy fate and by some miracle graduate, he would die in the field by the end of his first week. Some people had no business as a ninja, but the boy persisted. Neji closed his eyes so he would have to see things through his eyelids, and thus increase the difficulty.

The instructor, Mizuki-sensei, continued to write on the board as he discussed the various rules he was chalking up. His shoulder length white hair bore a slight hint of blue. Neji wondered if that was a genetic trait or just an odd hairstyle. He reasoned that it must be genetic, because it didn't make any sense to have hair colored in a special way only to cover it up with a bandana. A girl toward the front of the class caught his attention as she twirled a kunai knife around her finger while jotting down some notes. Her name was Tenten, and she was a capable kunoichi. No clan or familial link to the life of a ninja, but she had skills, and was perhaps the best marksman in the class. Though he would never admit it out loud, she was a better aim than he was even with his Byakugan.

Sitting next to him was a boy, Muramasa Kenshi, and Neji noticed that the bangs of his closely cropped brown hair were held up by a folded bandana wrapped across his forehead. The boy wore mostly dark colored shades of red and blue, and always carried a sword to class. In spite the instructors telling him that they would never learn swordplay, the boy brought it anyway claiming that he made it and would bring it wherever he wanted. There was nothing too special about him beyond the sword. The ninjatō rested lazily against the desk to Neji's right. It was wonderfully made to be sure, and Neji concluded that when Kenshi failed as a ninja he would likely succeed as a blacksmith.

Deciding to focus on the outside world he projected his sight further. The courtyard held a curious amount of activity. Neji tried to view the chakra networks of the two individuals. One was clearly a chūnin level ninja. Size notwithstanding, the chakra was more refined and greater in ready supply than the other individual. They moved back and forth trading blows as they sparred under the tree next to the Academy's entrance. The second source of chakra wasn't as developed, but looked quite powerful. The individual was perhaps a genin level opponent given the high level of chakra reserves, and one who would be quite advanced as an Academy student. Neji wondered what genin would be able to steal the time and attention of an Academy instructor during school hours.

Forgoing his viewing of their chakra rolling against each other as the ocean tides, his vision returned to its standard enhancement. He was immediately trying to follow the quick movements. He recognized the older man as Iruka-sensei. The scarred teacher had subbed for a class here and there, and commonly partnered with Mizuki-sensei during their taijutsu training. The other individual was an unknown. He had a head of hair which hung loosely, and given the moderate length of his bangs it was a surprise that the boy's vision wasn't obstructed. He struck Iruka-sensei in the shoulder and followed up with an open palm strike to the midsection. A moment was given as a breather for both fighters. They took up their stances and resumed.

The boy's form was sloppy, many of his strikes were ill-timed and blocks were poorly executed. Several holes existed in his defense and his attacks often left him open for counters, but he was fast. Fast enough to keep Iruka-sensei from pressing an advantage. It was likely that Iruka was purposefully holding back, and that was when Neji realized the truth of the spar. This was a skill assessment for an incoming student. His own speed and Iruka's reluctance worked in the boy's favor, because he elected to dodge as much as Iruka chose to dish out and would strike while the man was unbalanced. The boy clearly was not very proficient in taijutsu, but the curious thing was that his footwork was near flawless.

Neji took a glance around the battlefield and noticed the two swords which rested against the tree. One was a wakizashi, and the other a katana, and that seemed to be a plausible answer to the boy's rather impressive footwork. More sword users seemed unnecessary in the Academy, but with his stunning speed, perhaps this one was a proven kenjutsu practitioner. Either way, this student may be one worth keeping a closer eye on if the chance presented itself. Neji determined to follow up and learn what class he lands in.

"Neji," Mizuki-sensei called out his name, and broke his concentration from the sparring match in the schoolyard. "Would you know what this rule is?"

Thinking quickly Neji let the chakra cease its aggressive flow into his eyes, and deactivated his Byakugan. He looked on the board to see that rule number four had not yet been written down and answered in cool confidence "The fourth Shinobi Rule clearly states: A shinobi must always put the mission first."

"Very good Neji," Mizuki-sensei responded and proceeded to write the answer down. As the girls behind him giggled and whispered to themselves his instructor's voice rang out "Although it is tempting, you should at least pretend that you are paying attention in class instead of watching the fight in the courtyard."

This elicited an eruption of laughter as the class all finally got their moment to laugh at the growing embarrassment of the child prodigy. Neji tried his best not to look entirely embarrassed at getting caught, but did not feel guilty. It was certainly an interesting fight, maybe not so much the fight itself, but the mysterious student who was involved.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was feeling his age. Every day of his sixty six years was weighing down on him heavily. During the twilight hours of the day he realized what the cause of all his trouble was. It was not brought about by being the Hokage of Konohagakure, the stresses of leading a vast military, or even dealing with the various politics that was involved with either. No, at the moment he stood behind his desk staring at a three foot stack of paper work that had magically appeared there while he went to use the restroom. Taking a seat, the daunting task took on a different perspective. The change of height made it appear that more work was required than when he was standing. It was the bane of his existence. Sure, he could utilize one of the thousand techniques and jutsu that he had mastered over the years to speed things up, but he felt it was more important to use his chakra only when needed. Like when the village was in danger.

He couldn't justify painting at the moment, though he would like to. He had put off the various requests of the civilian council for far too long. The political structure of the village was quite ingenious, but a double edge sword for him. As Hokage, he was the supreme and unquestioned military leader. Every shinobi of the village answered to him. Missions would be distributed by ability and request. Should a delicate issue arise there was a shinobi council which would serve as a board of advisors. It was constructed of various high ranking ninja, and the heads of the noble ninja clans that called the village home. They had no real power, but the weight of their influence could be shifted with each decision. All in all, keeping half of the clan heads satisfied at least half of the time was always a preferred outcome.

The civilian council was little more than a body of legislatures who would take in the day to day complaints and necessities of the village as a whole and would draft legislation to be considered for action. Anything that was a matter of safety and security for the village was placed on his desk for approval. The problem came with one simple fact. In a ninja village everything was an issue of safety and security. Every little thing. Troop movements, border patrol assignments, citizenship applications, liquor licenses, and especially the request that was at the top of the stack were all a matter of village security. The paper was a proposal that Uzumaki Naruto be expelled from the Academy as punishment for one of his pranks.

He promptly threw the paper away. It was a request the council tried to slip in hoping to catch him off guard, but his secretary had a sharp eye and always made him aware of such things. She had probably already submitted the proper paperwork notifying the request was denied, in triplicate mind you. Hiruzen wished that Naruto had not been the village guinea pig, but it was a desperate time, and he was careless with the truth. In a shinobi village lies and truths were deadly weapons that needed to be wielded both efficiently and effectively. That day he had slipped up, and Naruto was paying for it.

He eyed the rest of his to-do pile, and groaned. He needed a distraction, and he needed one now. Something that was legitimate enough to place this busy work aside, but something that wasn't too stressful. Almost as if on cue, his distraction slid in through the window behind him.

"Listen up old man," a perturbed voice called out. "You had better have a damned good reason for calling me back here."

"I'm glad to see you too Jiraiya," Hiruzen said, and without even turning around he gestured to the chair in front of the desk. "Please take a seat and I will explain."

"Nah, I'm good where I am," Jiraiya answered, and Hiruzen balked at this. He was being difficult, and always had been. Hiruzen turned in his chair to see his student stand against the wall in his typical cool and casual demeanor. Jiraiya's long, white mane was hidden between his back and the wall. The horned forehead protector helped his unruly hair frame his face, and a giant scroll rested gently against the wall to the man's left. "So what is it old man? You called me back about three weeks after I had successfully infiltrated Orochimaru's network. It's hard enough to slip in without him noticing, and it's at least twice as hard to get out. This had better be important."

"Trust me this is quite important," Hiruzen began.

"Well before I forget I have something for you," Jiraiya interrupted pulling out a book from his pack. His student grinned from ear to ear. The book had an orange cover, but was otherwise unadorned. "This is a copy of the final draft. The last twenty three pages are inconsequential, and are really just filler so my publisher won't gripe about a shorter book. It's still worth the read if you know what I mean."

"I see," Hiruzen said uncertain of the suggestion, but took the book quickly and began thumbing through it. "Have you created the decryption key?"

"Didn't have time to write it down, you said it was urgent. You'll have to make one on your own, but that shouldn't be too hard for you. The code is largely based off the first and seventh books in the series. That should be hint enough if you know my writing style," Jiraiya answered slyly.

"Very well," Hiruzen smiled. Cracking the code even with the substantial hint that Jiraiya gave him would take weeks. Jiraiya's reports contained vital intelligence that the village greatly profited from. "That should do nicely," the elder shinobi muttered quietly to himself. Hiruzen had his distraction.

"So what's the big ordeal? Is the Raikage making idle threats again? Do you need some high powered muscle to scare off the ruffians from Kumogakure?" Jiraiya asked jovially.

"No, nothing of the sort," Hiruzen responded grumpily. That was still a sore subject. "Konoha has a new citizen that I thought you should be made aware of."

Jiraiya stood in silence, staring blankly. Hiruzen was counting down the second's to Jiraiya's reaction. His former student may not have always been the sharpest kunai in the set, but he had always been the most entertaining. "I don't think I quite heard you right. Did you say you called me here to let me know that someone became a citizen?"

"Yes," Hiruzen smiled. "They say that hearing is the first thing to go. Perhaps it is time you retire?" Maybe the joke was a bit too far, but pushing Jiraiya's buttons always made for a good time.

"Listen up you senile old coot," Jiraiya's tone of voice became deadly serious, and he even released an impressive amount of killing intent, almost as if it would scare the seasoned ninja. "I put my life on the line for this village. I run a spy network that rivals Kusagakure, and I take on deep cover operations that would make most ANBU wet themselves. I don't have time to come running back home every time some salesman walks through the gates. You may be my Hokage, but you don't have the right to keep me as a lapdog anytime you get bored."

Jiraiya may have become a legend in his own time, and was indeed worthy of his legend, but he was not anywhere near good enough to be a real threat to the Sandiame. First he didn't have the heart to actually hurt his Sensei, and second he didn't have the firepower. Sannin was a fancy title given to three incredibly skilled Jōnin, but Hokage was a rank. The difference in power was vast, and even on his best day Jiraiya couldn't harm him. Jiraiya may be the most obvious candidate for the position of Godaime Hokage but only after Hiruzen was six feet deep, and not a moment before. These facts didn't stop Jiraiya from unleashing his righteous fury in the form of a well-crafted speech that highlighted his own duty as Hokage.

"Uzumaki Yurushi," Hiruzen calmly stated causing Jiraiya to stop ranting.

"What?" Jiraiya paused not really thinking about what had been said. His ranting had gotten him pacing the room. "Never heard of the guy," Jiraiya concluded bluntly.

"Nor should you have, unless you know a large number of eleven year olds," Hiruzen quipped.

Jiraiya took a seat, likely so he could clear his mind of the self-sanctimonious wrath which had been rolling off of his tongue. As he was connecting the dots of what had been implied a certain light was brought to his eyes letting Hiruzen know that his student had figured it out. "You mean to tell me that there are more of them, and one of them is around Naruto's age?"

"Yes and no," Hiruzen began. "There was only one, and his caretaker brought the boy to the village at his mother's behest. The child's mother was an Uzumaki, Akane if I remember her name correctly, and is no longer present. Nevertheless, the boy had been brought here hoping to avoid entanglement with some rather unsavory characters. Uzumaki Akane has been presumed dead since the Yurushi was a baby, but she had instructed the caretaker to bring the boy here one day and to speak with the Hokage alone about this matter. The Yondaime Hokage specifically,"

"She knew Minato?" Jiraiya interrupted. "I know Minato was trained directly by the Uzumaki in fūinjutsu so it is possible they knew each other. Kushina got him started in the Uzumaki style, but I never knew who taught him the advanced stuff. So she's dead now I guess, but who is the caretaker?"

"He never gave me his full name, but he said his name was Katsushiro," Hiruzen was hoping that Jiraiya could shed some light on the situation and help him understand just what was going on.

"Name doesn't ring a bell, but I'll do some digging when I get a chance. Just have the ANBU give me a dossier on him before I leave," Jiraiya said.

"They are already making one," Hiruzen affirmed. "There were a few other things. I introduced Yurushi to Naruto, and told them they were cousins. I am having a full genetic analysis being done as we speak just to be sure, but if the boy's chakra signature is anything to go by he is an Uzumaki. He has been enrolled into the Academy, and if Iruka's initial impressions were anything to go by he will be placed in the class one year ahead of Naruto."

"Wouldn't you rather have them together? I'm sure Naruto would appreciate a friendly face. I'm not in much position to talk, but you have kind of sucked at making sure Naruto was loved and treated with respect," and Hiruzen sighed.

Jiraiya was right, and Hiruzen knew it. Naruto had been ignored by the populace of the village when he should have been treated as a hero. The young blond had no choice in what had happened, but it didn't matter to the village. The Hokage, for all his power, could not force people to think well of the child. He could try and ensure he was treated well, and he strictly _disciplined_ any who would try to harm, abuse, refuse service, or take advantage of the boy. Still, he also couldn't constantly monitor the child, and if the kid knew that there were ANBU keeping an eye on him there would likely be a heated protest by the little prankster.

"This was Iruka's recommendation, and Iruka has proven to have Naruto's best interests at heart, so I will allow it. The decision has its own merits. First, it gives Yurushi room to grow and develop at his own pace without feeling compelled to wait for Naruto to play catch up. Second, it also allows him to develop his own friends in the village thus giving him ties, and a reason to stay loyal. Third, it gives Naruto an example to look to and a person to guide him as he progresses through the Academy and transitions into ninja life. Fourth,"

"Alright already," Jiraiya interrupted. "I didn't need the full story. I just wanted to know that someone was considering Naruto here. Why are you concerned about Yurushi's continued loyalty though? Isn't Naruto reason enough to stay?"

"The simple truth Jiraiya, is that these boys are complete strangers. I fear that the only reason Yurushi has stayed is because he was ordered to by Katsushiro. If he no longer sees the need to live here, doesn't develop strong ties to the village, or finds reason enough to run I fear that he will leave. An Uzumaki would be a prize for any ninja village, and this child has in his possession something that people would kill for," Hiruzen sighed.

"Which is what exactly?" Jiraiya questioned.

"He has a near complete library on the Uzumaki sealing style," Hiruzen admitted.

"I'm surprised that Danzō hasn't killed the kid and taken it already. Hell, I'm surprised you haven't taken those scrolls yet," Jiraiya joked. Or at least Hiruzen hoped that Jiraiya had been joking.

"I would never dishonor Minato or Kushina that way, but Danzō did worry me, and so I needed to make a statement. I needed to subtly make him aware that I have a very close eye on the Uzumaki boy. Simply having an ANBU guarding over them every hour of the day would not deter him, and doing something personally brings far too much attention to the issue and only heightens his interest."

"All this cloak and dagger political maneuvering between you two is getting old. You should just have the old bastard executed in his sleep. Make it look like a heart attack," Jiraiya suggested. Before Hiruzen could even begin to explain why that was not an option Jiraiya continued, "Yeah, yeah, he is a loyal servant of the village. His Root program would make that impossible, may even spark a civil war, and won't be dismantled because they are efficient and effective. Sooner or later you have to wise up and figure out that Shimura Danzō is not your buddy, but a friend of convenience. As soon as you are not convenient to him anymore, he'll gladly put a knife in your back. I know what you want me to do, and I'll stay for a week and teach the kids something, but I want something in return."

"What exactly do you want?" Hiruzen asked with mild curiosity. He would have normally assumed that his student wanted unrestricted viewing access to the ladies bath at his favorite hot spring, but when Naruto was involved Jiraiya had a tendency to be serious.

"I want to tell the little brat the truth," the younger man stated rather boldly. "I want to tell Naruto the truth about everything, his heritage, his parents, and his burden."

"I forbid it." Hiruzen answered with strength in his voice.

"Then why should I help you?" Jiraiya asked with contempt.

"You may speak of the Uzumaki clan if he asks, but you will not speak of his burden. Should he graduate the Academy and become a genin, then I will see to it personally that he is informed of his burden. You have my word as Hokage that it will be so. There is no need to make him worry over something that he may not even learn to use, and if the boy cannot be a ninja then he will not learn to use that power. It would be too unstable otherwise. You will speak nothing of his parentage and that is final," Hiruzen commanded with a heavy heart.

"I disagree about his burden, but I see your point. Why shouldn't I tell him about his parents? He has a right to know! He deserves to know that he was loved and cared for at least once in his life! He deserves it, of all people, Naruto deserves it," Jiraiya yelled making Hiruzen grateful he had erected his various privacy barriers once his student had stepped into the office.

"I made a promise that I would say nothing of it. Minato asked this of me as he lay dying Jiraiya. Do you really want me to deny the last wishes of a dying man? I may not have fulfilled his wish to have Naruto seen as a hero, but I'll be damned before I break another promise to that man. He and Kushina gave everything for this village, and I will not break my word to them. I know I have failed that boy several times, but this is the one thing that I can still do for Minato. It's the one promise that I can still keep. Don't make me go back on my word more than I already have," Hiruzen was very grateful for the privacy barriers after he finished his escalated response.

"Give me one good reason old man," his angered student glared with fire.

"First, this is an order from your Hokage." Hiruzen hated using that line on Jiraiya. His student only resented him more after each repetition. "Second, Minato told me that he would tell Naruto the truth himself."

"Seriously?" Jiraiya looked at him as if he had grown a third eye and sprouted wings.

"Seriously," Hiruzen and his student sat in silence. Jiraiya's eye bore into his own as if trying to search his soul to see if his words were true.

"Fine, but Kami help you if you ever cross me," Jiraiya said as he walked toward the window that he entered in through.

"Oh, Jiraiya," Hiruzen said handing his student a file folder. "Here is a report on Naruto's performance in the Academy, and Yurushi's preliminary examination results. You may want to look over this before you teach them."

Wordlessly Jiraiya took the folder and briefly thumbed through it. "Despite whatever you may think," Hiruzen said drawing the attention of his student, "it is good seeing you again."

"Sure thing old man," Jiraiya responded with a smile and leapt out of the window.

Leaning back in his chair Hiruzen grabbed the book that rested on the surface of his desk. "I'm too old for this," he said to no one in particular. While thumbing through the nondescript book he began skimming over its contents. He could already see the patterns, but he would have to do an exhaustive study to be sure of the accuracy of his translation. He could feel a little trail of blood trickle from his nose as he read a few choice lines. Jiraiya had a real gift, and knew how to profit from it.

* * *

Thumbing through a well-worn book, Hatake Kakashi was enjoying a beautiful evening. The silver haired Jōnin was known as many things, a true prodigy, the Kopī Ninja, an ANBU Captain, and was commonly called a lazy bastard. Monikers and nicknames meant little to him. The only titles that mattered to him were the ones that bore true value. Son, student, and friend were titles that he wore proudly for as briefly as he was allowed to wear them.

The life of a ninja is one of tragedy, and tragedy was all he knew. The sole son and survivor of a suicidal father, he grew up with a determination to overcome the shame that had broken his father's spirits. _A shinobi must always put the mission first_, a rule that Kakashi was intimately familiar with. It was the rule his father broke, and the rule he swore to live by or die trying. That rule was what had defined his role as son. It was because of the fourth Shinobi Rule he was forced to live up to and redeem his father's sullied legacy. When he was placed on a genin team he progressed quickly in rank by following the rules.

Student was another title he was proud of. He was the student of the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato. A man proclaimed to be the greatest ninja produced by Konohagakure since its foundation. This man took to Kakashi and his students as a father would take to his children. He taught, mentored, loved, and disciplined his students with all of the care and concern of a father. Kakashi was not looking for a father. He had a father, and his father had abandoned life. Kakashi wanted to be a student, and to return honor to his family name. Minato-sensei helped him embrace and thrive in this role. This didn't really help with his role of a friend though.

Commonly, one's genin teammates become lifelong friends and comrades. To his own genin team, for the longest time, Kakashi was an ass. He was inconsiderate, stubborn, callused, and cold toward his teammates. Nohara Rin and Uchiha Obito were his teammates, and tried to be his friends, but for years Kakashi wouldn't let them. He saw Obito as a liability and Rin as a distraction. Neither one were needed for him to meet his goals. Time would prove that he was the liability to Obito, and a distraction to Rin. For all of his skill and power, what killed his team was his lack of friendship. He learned how to be a good friend, but at the cost of Obito's life. Now his genin team, were just names carved on a stone to immortalize the fallen. Kakashi sighed deeply at the thought as he turned the page.

He was sick of this book. He was sick of his current role. ANBU had been a haven for him. It was a place he could be useful until the job finally claimed his life. When his Sensei became the leader of the village Kakashi joined their ranks. He had been determined to serve to the best of his ability with every breath he had. Sadly, his Sensei had given his life as well. No other reason seemed to justify his own existence, and with no enthusiasm he took the promotion to ANBU Captain. He committed all sorts of atrocities for the cause of keeping his home safe. None of his acts as a leader in the black ops division brought him any pride. Yet he was also largely unaffected by his grievous sins. He was already a husk, an empty shell of a man waiting for death to claim him.

Hope, it seems, was stronger than death. He had no proof of his suspicions, and was slightly offended that Minato-sensei had not told him the truth, but he found a new title that he was eager to take. The role of teacher was well within his grasp, and he would do all he could to take up that mantle. He was not the best of role models, but he could at least show a group of students an example of how _not_ to be a proper shinobi.

The branch of the tree he was lounging on shifted under the addition of a new weight. "I thought I might find you here Kakashi," a familiar voice said coolly.

"Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi casually acknowledged the man as he flipped to the next page of his book.

"I have something for one of my most loyal fans," Kakashi looked up at this and saw one of the legendary Sannin handing him a small blue book and it bore, with large font, the title _Icha Icha_. Greedily, Kakashi snapped up the book as if the one in his hands was worthless.

"Is this what I think it is?" Kakashi asked with shock at what he was holding.

"Yep, it's the unreleased special edition of my latest masterpiece. It's not set to hit shelves for another month still, and just think of my autograph as a token of gratitude for your continued loyalty," Jiraiya beamed with pride at his work.

"It's a Daisuke story," Kakashi groaned. "Do you have the decryption handy?"

"You too? None of my true fans like Daisuke," Jiraiya whined, sounding defeated.

"His character is flat compared to your other main characters. I don't understand why you keep writing stories for this guy," Kakashi mused.

"My publisher tells me that books with Daisuke sell the best because he gets into the most interesting situations. The positions I put that guy in really blow people's minds," the white haired legend laughed perversely. "Still, I guess you are right. I don't really like him either, but he serves a purpose. The codes for his character's stories are the most dynamic, and are easier to solve if you have the previous decryptions to cross reference against. The old man should have the code cracked in a few weeks. You still want to read the story though, right?"

"Of course," Kakashi answered with no hesitation. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

The elder shinobi was busy most of the time. He wouldn't be here without reason, and he certainly wouldn't drop in just to say hello. His time was valuable to the village, and better served beyond the walls. The spymaster may have a reputation of a hard-line pervert, but no one questioned his skill as a ninja. If Jiraiya had been like his former genin teammates and decided to leave the village, then none could bring him back. This is not to say that no one could bring him back by force, the Hokage could do that Kakashi supposed, but it was a moot point. If Jiraiya did not want to be found, then no one would find him. It was that simple. Not a soul in the village had the skill to track the Sannin down if he decided to disappear. If Jiraiya wished to walk away from it all then he would cease to exist to the village, because it would be a waste of time and resources to try and act to the contrary.

"I was wondering how the twerp was doing," the man grinned knowingly. Clearly he knew that Kakashi knew something which ought not be known.

"Take a look for yourself," the silver haired man responded motioning toward a window that showed a lit apartment room. Within two boys were wrestling fiercely. A blond haired child was at the mercy of another, slightly larger child with dark crimson hair. The elder held his junior in a rather simple headlock. Both were smiling, the blond was laughing wildly, and in general they were having fun roughhousing.

"I guess they are getting along pretty well then?" the living legend asked.

"I reckon so," Kakashi answered as a lazy eye scanned the first page of his new treasure. Monocular vision was something he was long used to. Some would see it as a burden or a curse. He saw it as a gift. He lost one eye while protecting his best friend, and his best friend gifted him with a new one before he died. It was an eternal reminder of the cost of friendship, and just how far a true friend will go for you.

"When did you finally piece everything together?" The elder shinobi asked his junior.

"A few years back, but I still don't have solid proof. Sensei covered his tracks well," Kakashi said with a smile that went unseen by most. He bore a cloth mask that covered much of his face from the bridge of the nose down. Secrecy was key to a ninja's success, and hiding one's face did more than hide their identity.

"You aren't angry about that are you?" Kakashi closed his new book for now. This conversation was becoming serious and would likely stay that way. He couldn't appreciate the story while distracted.

"I was at first," Kakashi answered watching the children through the window. Naruto had turned the tables on his elder kin and was now in command of their wrestling match. "I understand Sensei's reasoning though. I was in the ANBU at the time. Privileged information like that would have put the village and himself in great jeopardy if something were to happen. I'm not saying that I would have gotten captured, but stranger things have happened out in the field."

"I'm kind of surprised you haven't adopted the kid," Jiraiya stated letting the thought linger in silence. Kakashi heard that Jiraiya had wished to adopt the boy, but was thwarted in his attempts. The loyal Sannin's duties as a spymaster for Konoha would have been disrupted and compromised with the presence of a young child. He also couldn't just stop his work. The village needed the intelligence gathered through his network of spies, and no one else could manage it so effectively. Jiraiya was far too loyal to the village to simply throw everything away. His parent's lives, his Sensei's life, his life, his student's lives were all lived in dedication to the village, and to betray the blood that had been shed by him and for him was far too steep a price for the conscious.

"There was no way I could," Kakashi answered begrudgingly. "I was in pretty much the same position you were in. My service in ANBU would have made the whole act of adopting Naruto ineffective. I spend most of the year behind that mask, and even when I was supposed to be off duty I was still kept busy. He would be just as lonely as he is now. If I had adopted him nothing would have changed but the kid's address. I let my contract for ANBU expire after he entered the Academy. I'm going to be his Jōnin Sensei once he graduates."

"That's if he graduates," Jiraiya responded with a chuckle. "I looked over the kid's academic record on the way here and I have to say, it's pretty pathetic. He has multiple instances of skipping class, poor grades, most of the instructors say that he shows no real desire to learn, and he failed his first attempt at graduation."

"True, but there is no doubt that he will graduate," Kakashi looked at the expression on the older shinobi's face. His countenance was clear cut confusion, and it begged for his explanation. "He shows a pretty good degree of raw talent. His pranks are evidence to that. Just last week he snuck into the Chūnin Command Center and hid a dead fish in the couch cushion of the main lounge. To cover his entrance he made everyone believe than an old munitions warehouse had caught fire. If his cousin hadn't shown up that afternoon he would have gotten a clean break."

"Well at least he shows promise," the white haired ninja roared with laughter. "How's the Academy system work these days? The last time I knew anything about it was when I was a Jōnin Sensei, and that had to be at least twenty years ago."

"It's pretty laid back these days. Much different than when I graduated," Kakashi recalled the days of old. The drums of war resounded in the heart of the village, and as soon as he showed the necessary skills he graduated from the Academy. He was five years of age, and was eager to serve during those perilous times. "With the village being at peace for the past decade or so the Academy encourages all of its students to stay the full six years. Four years are mandatory at the end of which you can take the graduation exam. If you fail you can retry the next year, but if you haven't at least qualified for genin by the end of six years you are dropped from the program entirely. Most families comply with the recommendations and the kids stay for the full six years, but a few here and there opt for early graduation. Usually, it's the civilian kids trying to turn some heads up top."

"So Naruto gave the exam a shot last go round and blew it," Jiraiya said thoughtfully while examining a file full of information. Likely it details of the child in question. Knowing Jiraiya, he was also looking over the boy's entire class. "Kinda curious as to why the last Uchiha didn't opt for early graduation. I had heard he wants to kill his brother or something crazy like that, and his record looks pretty good."

"I suspect he wants to soak it all in for as long as he can," Kakashi looked once again to see the boys in the window. Naruto was hanging off of Yurushi while the new citizen of the village was attempting to read a scroll. The look of frustration on his face was becoming more and more obvious with each passing second. Eventually, Yurushi threw Naruto over his head and leapt out of view to follow up his attack. Round three was now underway, and Kakashi smiled. "I'll probably be stuck with Uchiha Sasuke when he graduates. The chance that his Sharingan will awaken would mean that I am the only one who could train him how to use it. Hokage-sama has already informed me that he wants me to keep a close eye on his mental state, something about being a potential flight risk."

"Well if Naruto graduates dead last in his class you'll get them both if traditions are followed," Jiraiya noted the optimistic possibilities.

"If I get them both most of my time will be focused on the Uchiha. After his older brother slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, Sasuke has been an unknown. Sometimes he will show signs of recovery, and other times he has outbursts of rage. The kid is a total mess and no one knows how to handle the situation. He's treated very well by the village at large, but it's mostly just a smile and a wave," Kakashi explained. Many villagers wouldn't say it, but most of them were more afraid of Sasuke than they were Naruto. Insanity can run in the family, and butchering one's family is a special kind of crazy.

Kakashi saw the elder Sage trying to watch the Uzumaki twins, as Naruto claimed them to be several times that day. "Naruto seems pretty well adjusted, and if anything his cousin's arrival should do wonders for him. Any psychological trauma that may have been caused by his isolation could be healed, at least to a degree now that he has family around. You are going to need to keep a focus on Sasuke, even though you don't want to. With Orochimaru on the move the way he is it wouldn't surprise me if he makes a move to take the boy, especially if his bloodline powers awaken. I'll take care of Naruto if that's alright with you," the old ninja's order wasn't well received. It was necessary though.

"I figured you might want to teach him. Is that what you are here for now?" Kakashi sighed. He'd get Naruto as a genin, but Jiraiya would naturally want train the son of his greatest student. It was better than nothing at all.

"Well it is kind of late, and I don't want to interrupt these precious family moments," Jiraiya laughed as the pair of ninja watched Naruto run around his apartment carrying as many cups of instant ramen as his tiny arms could carry while Yurushi, covered in a coating of what looked to be flour, was pursuing. "I plan on staying the rest of the week or so, and I'll teach the boys a thing or two while I'm here."

Just as Kakashi's guest stood to leave Yurushi, still coated in flour, rushed onto the apartment balcony with an armful of instant ramen cups in his arms, and threatened to drop them over the ledge. Naruto came outside and was groveling at Yurushi's feet pleading his surrender. Terms were exchanged, accepted, and at the end Naruto stood yawning and sported a rather satisfied grin on his face.

"Well I'd better head off. Take care Kakashi," the perverted Sage sped away to do Kami knows what with the remainder of his evening. Kakashi returned his attention to the scene from Naruto's bedroom window. Illuminated by moonlight he could see Yurushi tucking his cousin in for a goodnight's rest. It was strange how much of an adult Uzumaki Yurushi seemed to be. Whatever upbringing the boy had produced incredible results, but robbed the youth of his sense of childhood freedom. Perhaps, it was for the best. Naruto needed someone responsible, a good example, and a form of stability in his life. Everything Kakashi could not be at the moment.

Kakashi looked up at the full moon. Its soft light radiated over the village, and he figured that now was as good a time as any to retire for the day. Nothing was certain in the shinobi world, but should Kakashi wake to greet the day he knew one thing. '_Everything is changing so quickly._'

* * *

It was a peaceful morning. Yurushi was finishing his sword maintenance on the roof of the apartment complex. The landlord had been displeased when he learned that Yurushi began practicing his katas on the roof, but said it was no trouble when Yurushi _demonstrated_ just how good he was with a blade. Yurushi had already checked with the other tenants of the building just to see if his morning rituals were causing any disturbance. All of them had claimed no issue with his practice.

Double checking the edge of the katana his master gave him, Yurushi sheathed it after he found it satisfactory. He was still adjusting to the added length and weight, but it was something that would come quickly with practice. He had contemplated wielding his wakizashi in the off hand, but ultimately decided against it. Doing so would likely throw off his balance and his precision might suffer as a result, and any loss of precision was unacceptable. Should he ever acquire a second wakizashi then perhaps dual wielding would be a good option.

His time in the village thus far had been tenuous at best. Naruto had been more than welcoming, and took to his presence as though he had always been there. The blond haired ruffian was an odd boy, but he had a genuineness and kind hearted nature. Clearly, a life without supervision had left him starving for attention. The reasons for this were still a mystery, and Yurushi had determined to dedicate time in the near future to solving that mystery. Still, people's overall attitudes toward his cousin were troubling. They were beginning to treat him in a similar fashion, guilt by association perhaps.

It was stunning to him that his blond roommate had simply accepted the Hokage's claim at face value. The letter from his mother to Sensei had suggested that the only family that still resided in Konoha was a cousin of hers, a single cousin with no children of her own. This boy bore no resemblance to any physical description Katsushiro-sensei had ever given him of a typical Uzumaki. Of course, according to the clan's history, the Uzumaki had become scattered to the winds which likely would result in a diluted bloodline. This is not to say that Yurushi valued a pure bloodline, but was curious as to how the Hokage could be so sure when Naruto himself didn't know his own parent's names. There was something being actively hidden from the both of them. They weren't really cousins. More like second cousins at the least, but simply saying cousins created much less confusion.

Still, there was something rather comforting to Yurushi when Naruto would introduce them as the _Uzumaki twins_. It made him wonder why the starry-eyed kid would want to step into the dark world of the shinobi. Naruto had a dream to one day be Hokage, and only a ninja could become the Hokage. Yurushi may not have had anything else of value in the village, but if the Hokage was to be trusted then he had family. His mother's example had taught him a lesson: family was something worth fighting and dying for. However, as he reentered the apartment, he could hear an all too familiar sound. With Naruto's snoring resonating in his ears, Yurushi began to make some breakfast for the two of them.

"You can't become a ninja if you sleep through your Academy classes," Yurushi yelled aloud with no positive results.

Granted, it was still early and Naruto had plenty of time before class started, but that wasn't the point. Those blond locks of his would practically fuse themselves to the pillow at night and would not let go until noon. Yurushi was used to greeting the dawn, and that habit simply became a lifestyle. Naruto had spent all of his life doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted to, and while he enjoyed having Yurushi around they clashed frequently. Just the other night the whisker faced boy wouldn't leave him alone. Yurushi had been trying to read some of the scrolls on fūinjutsu that his mother had given him. He didn't understand much if anything, but he wasn't going to stop trying until he discovered what this key was for.

Naruto, on the other hand, believed that Yurushi was wasting his time being boring, and in response started to wrestle with him. After Yurushi had believed him to have given up Naruto kept right on and dumped a full pound of flour on Yurushi. The blue eyed kid only gave up when his ramen supply was in jeopardy, something worth noting. The cleanup for that little stunt Naruto pulled took quite a bit of time. With breakfast nearly prepared Yurushi hoped he didn't have to wake Naruto using his more _forceful_ methods.

"Morning," yawned Naruto as he stumbled into the humble eat in kitchen.

"Good morning to you as well," Yurushi responded.

"Aww, eggs and fruit? Why don't you ever make ramen?" the boy complained.

"I never learned how to make ramen. Besides, ramen is not the most appropriate choice for breakfast," Yurushi returned. It was amazing how his cousin could eat the noodled concoction for every meal.

"You should learn, then I could compare your ramen to Ichiraku ramen," Yurushi could swear he saw drool escaping Naruto's lips as he spoke.

A knock at the door broke the conversation. Yurushi opened the door to find a tall man, a really tall man standing there. He had spiky white hair with bangs touching the tops of his shoulders. There was a piece of horned headgear bearing the kanji for oil resting on his forehead. It was not the standard hitai-ate worn by the shinobi of this village, but Yurushi didn't rule out the possibility that this man was a ninja. His dress was that of an olive green short shirt style kimono and pants of a matching color. The red haori was clearly just for style's sake, but possibly there in case a more formal occasion arose. Tied to his back was a very large scroll that Yurushi assumed was fairly cumbersome to carry around everywhere.

"Hey kid," the older man began with a smirk, "is Naruto home?"

Yurushi looked over to where Naruto was sitting at the table. It was a small apartment, the man had a strong voice, and his cousin had a look on his face that screamed confusion. Clearly, Naruto was listening. Yurushi nodded in response, but remained silent. He was hoping to glean some clue from Naruto as to how he should handle the situation. Naruto rarely attracted positive responses from people, and Yurushi wasn't certain this was anything different.

"Well are you going to invite me in or just stand there looking stupid?" The jovial man laughed.

"Um, may I ask who you are exactly?" Yurushi asked hesitantly. He didn't want to just let some random stranger in the home. Naruto hadn't moved or otherwise responded in a way that gave Yurushi any ease.

The man looked up and down the hall way he was standing in, and Yurushi thought he heard him mutter something about not having enough room to do something right. The elder's shoulders dropped and he hung his head with a sigh.

"The name is Jiraiya," he answered. "You'll have to ask me again when we get outside so I can introduce myself correctly."

Naruto had moved closer to the door which Yurushi took to be a sign of curiosity and allowed the strange man entrance. As the man met Naruto's eyes he smiled widely. "Hey, how would you two like the opportunity of lifetime?"

Naruto nodded quietly with a smile growing on his face. Yurushi was still suspicious and grasped the hilt of his katana.

"How would you two like it if I taught you some really cool jutsu?" the strange man asked.

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted gleefully. "That would be awesome!"

"I'm sorry sir, but Naruto must attend class," Yurushi answered firmly while holding the door open motioning for their guest to leave.

"What?" Naruto cried. "This guy could probably teach us all kinds of stuff that the Academy won't, so it's way better than going to my boring class."

"Well, I kinda pulled some strings and got Naruto a leave of absence for the rest of the week." Yurushi motioned to his sword again, and the elder shinobi held his hands up holding a piece of paper. "It's all on the up and up I swear! I even have a note signed by the Hokage."

Yurushi quickly grabbed and examined the note with a careful eye. "Well can we go? Can we please?" Naruto begged.

It did look quite official. The Hokage's signature was quite clear on the note as was the signature of one Umino Iruka which meant Naruto's Sensei had been made aware. If this man really was a ninja, and he really did want to teach Naruto something, then Naruto could greatly profit from individual instruction.

"Fine, but I would like to tag along. Just to be sure Naruto is alright," Yurushi answered as his cousin started jumping for joy.

"I was going to teach you a thing or two as well Yurushi," Jiraiya said and started heading out the apartment door. "When you two are ready meet me on training field three, and be ready to work."

As Yurushi closed the door Naruto was already getting himself prepared for the sudden change in his schedule. Running a hand through his hair, Yurushi tried to guess how this strange man had known his name. Nothing came to mind and the elder of the _Uzumaki twins_ could only imagine how crazy the following week would possibly be.

* * *

Yurushi was beginning to get annoyed. Naruto was still star struck, but Yurushi was starting to feel like they had been duped. They had arrived at training ground three five minutes ago and there had been no sign of this Jiraiya figure. Suddenly, a large cloud of smoke erupted right in front of where he and his cousin were standing.

"From the East to the West the winds whisper my name," a loud audible voice called out. Clearly, this Jiraiya character was a man given to theatrics. Yurushi was unimpressed.

"From the North to the South the nations fear my skill," the man continued unseen. Something large collided with the earth causing the ground to shake briefly.

"Men tremble beneath my might, and women swoon at the sound of my voice. From the holy Mount Myoboku," the man continued and the smoke was beginning to disperse. Nothing visible as of yet, but the outlines of something rather large was becoming clear.

"So cool," Naruto whispered quietly. The boy was enthralled, and while Yurushi refused to give this man his approval of this unbidden display of bravado, he could understand why his younger cousin was glued to the scene.

"It is I! The one, the only, the Gama Sennin, Jiraiya!" The elder said as he became visible amidst the remaining smoke. He stood in a theatrical pose upon the head of a very large toad with one hand outstretched. The toad, amazingly enough, was mimicking the action.

"Sennin?" Naruto wondered aloud.

"This man claims that he is a sage, but I don't believe that a sage would be such a braggart," Yurushi stated. The comment caused Jiraiya to fall from his perch in shock.

"Well Gama, kids these days just don't appreciate a good entrance," the white haired man said to the toad while patting its head. "I guess you can go home now."

With a puff of smoke the toad was gone and Jiraiya marched over to where Yurushi was standing with his cousin. The way he walked, the look on his face, the confidence in his stride and the seriousness in his eyes told Yurushi that he was getting down to business now. It reminded Yurushi of Katsushiro-sensei, and Yurushi decided that he would give the man the benefit of the doubt from this point on.

"Alright I am here to teach you two and get you on the right path to becoming excellent shinobi," Jiraiya said.

"But I'm already an awesome shinobi. I'll be Hokage soon, and then you'll know how awesome I am!" Naruto protested. He was obviously defending his self-image, but surely the boy had to know that he wasn't as good as he thought he was.

"Really?" Jiraiya asked in a dramatic fashion. "I looked at your grades, and I have to say that the only thing _awesome_ about you is how thoroughly you are failing."

Naruto hung his head in shame, and Jiraiya unleashed a good laugh, "Don't worry kid! That's what I'm here for. I'll get both of you in tip top shape." Naruto perked up at this, while Yurushi allowed only mild curiosity to appear on his face. "Now to get started, Naruto I want you to go under that tree under there and spend time meditating."

"Meditate! I already know how to meditate! Iruka-sensei taught me that. I thought you said you were going to teach me a really cool jutsu!" The blond blurted in a hint of fury and disappointment.

"That comes later. You show me that you have mastered the basics, and then I will teach you a really cool jutsu. I would not tell you to do this if it wasn't important. Trust me kid. I trained the Yondaime Hokage, if anyone knows how to train a great ninja it's me."

"You trained the Yondaime?" Naruto practically squealed with amazement.

"Yes I did. Now listen to your Sensei and go meditate!" Jiraiya pointed toward the tree.

"Yes sir!" Naruto declared with a salute, and ran off to accomplish his task.

"Now as for you," Yurushi could feel the weight of his stare, and he knew that Jiraiya was more of taskmaster than he was letting on with Naruto. "I hear that your taijutsu is barely passable. I also need to know just how capable you are with hand seals, chakra control, and a few other things."

"Aren't you going to train Naruto at all?" Yurushi thought Jiraiya's attentions were better placed right now.

"He is training. That kid can barely sit still. Chakra is a balance between physical and spiritual energies. Part of the reason he has trouble with his ninjutsu in the Academy is because he doesn't have a grasp on that balance. Meditation is the best way to get a feel on where that balance is, and how to maintain it. If Naruto can show me that he has the patience to finish his meditation exercises, then I'll move him on to more advanced training. After lunch I'll bring him over here and you two can spar with each other."

From that moment on Yurushi was being run through the wringer, and it almost felt like Katsushiro-sensei was training him again, almost.

* * *

The first few days were rough, but now everything was going smoothly. Naruto sat under what he had come to know as his _meditation tree_. At first he was nothing but antsy, and it was difficult for him to sit there for hours on end. Jiraiya-sensei came over every once in a while to explain what he should be feeling, but Naruto didn't quite get it.

Honestly, he was a little jealous of his cousin for a while. Jiraiya was focusing on Yurushi's training while, it seemed, that he had been left underneath the tree to watch. Then Jiraiya-sensei explained that he already knew the full extent of Naruto's skills and was fairly confident in some of Naruto's abilities. Jiraiya-sensei explained that his cousin had no real training in the Shinobi Arts, but was trained as a samurai for his entire life. '_It's just so cool! My cousin is a really awesome samurai, and I'm going to be Hokage! When I do we'll make the best team for sure!_'

Now, Naruto was getting the hang of this meditation thing. It was difficult to explain with words. It was like everything in his head was quiet, and he felt calm on the inside. '_Peaceful. Yeah, that's it, peaceful._'

"I think you've got it down there kid," Jiraiya's voice rang out and Naruto opened his eyes to see the man smiling on him. The old Sage always seemed to smile at him when he was doing well. "Give me a second and I'll show you what I need you to master next."

Naruto frowned. It was already Thursday, and Jiraiya said he had to leave on Saturday. Three days into the training, and there had been no jutsu like he was promised. He couldn't quite say he hadn't learned something. Jiraiya had him practice his Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, and his Bunshin no Jutsu after each set of meditation exercises. He was beginning to find it easier to replace himself with the ever trusty log using the Kawarimi, and he did a near perfect imitation of Yurushi with the Henge, but his Bunshin still created the most pitiful looking clones. Nevertheless, he was improving and he could feel it. After he practiced his jutsu, Jiraiya would often have him spar with Yurushi.

The past two days of really sparring with Yurushi were much different than their usual wrestling matches. The most obvious difference was the speed his cousin moved with. Yurushi was fast, really fast. Much faster than that jerk Sasuke. Another thing that he learned was that Yurushi's speed was really about all that he had as far as taijutsu goes. His cousin knew the basics, but according to Jiraiya-sensei, didn't really do much to develop. '_I guess that makes sense, 'cause he does spend a lot of time practicing with his swords._'

When not checking in on him, Jiraiya-sensei spent most of his time with Yurushi. At first they were doing some really cool looking stuff where Jiraiya would have Yurushi do some basic jutsu. Every once in a while they would spar, and occasionally Jiraiya would let Yurushi use his swords. Since, yesterday the two hadn't really done anything but read scrolls. That was boring, but they kept repeating a certain word that Naruto could not seem to recall. _'What was it again? Oh yeah! That's it!'_

"Hey Jiraiya-sensei, when are you gonna teach me that fanjutsu stuff that your teaching my cousin?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"You can't even pronounce it correctly," Jiraiya groaned as he hid his face behind his palm.

"Alright feignjutsu then," Naruto corrected himself as Jiraiya groaned a little more loudly.

"Funjutsu?" Naruto asked. He was at a loss now. At this point he just wanted to know what the thing was called.

"It's called fūinjutsu," Jiraiya corrected. "I'm teaching him the basics of sealing techniques, and I don't think you would want to learn that."

"What? Why not? If Yurushi can do it then so can I!" Naruto declared indignantly.

"I don't doubt you could learn it kid," Jiraiya-sensei responded with a laugh. "I just don't think you'd want to. Tell me, how much do you know about chakra theory, biochemistry, and physics?"

"Uh, what?" Naurto asked. He was dumbfounded. Honestly, he didn't know what half of those words were, let alone the subjects they were supposed to be.

"Right," Jiraiya said suggestively. "How good is your penmanship? Do you have a steady hand when you practice your calligraphy?"

"Calligra-what?" Naruto was utterly lost. He had only the vaguest of clues as to what this guy was talking about.

"That's what I thought," Jiraiya seemed satisfied with the point he was making so far, but Naruto didn't understand what he was trying to say. "How would you like to spend hours reading, studying, and learning all of that stuff in order to truly become a master of fūinjutsu?"

"No way!" Naruto declared shaking his head in the negative waving his hands in a similar fashion. That was boring. All he wanted was to learn a super cool ninjutsu and clean house when he got back to the Academy.

"Then trust me kid, fūinjutsu isn't your style. Now, do you know the leaf concentration exercise?" Jiraiya asked snapping Naruto's attention back to his newfound Sensei instead of in his own thoughts.

"Yeah," Naruto admitted a little shyly. "Iruka-sensei usually makes me do that if he gives me a detention."

"Good, now here is what I want you to do," Jiraiya-sensei said as he reached up and plucked two leaves from the overhanging tree and held them in front of Naruto's face. "I want you to do what you did during detention, but with two leaves. The real difference is that you are going to have one leaf stuck on the sole each foot."

"On my feet?" Naruto questioned. It was such an odd request. Iruka-sensei said that the leaf concentration exercise wasn't really much of a chakra control exercise, but something to teach him to focus. Given how many times he has had to perform the exercise it really didn't teach him focus either.

"Yeah, if you can get both of them to stick to each one of your feet at the same time, using only your chakra, then I will teach you that jutsu I promised," as soon as Jiraiya had concluded his initial thought Naruto snapped the leaves from the older man's hands and repositioned to a more comfortable seated position where the leaves had easy access to the souls of his feet.

"I'll have this mastered in no time!" Naruto declared as Jiraiya left with a smile.

'_No matter what, I will be Hokage someday!_' Naruto thought as he set to the task that was before him.

* * *

Jiraiya seemed intimately focused on the scroll in front of him. Yurushi had never expected the incredibly _eccentric_ man to carry a rather dizzying intellect. Just like Katsushiro-sensei, Jiraiya was a man of many secrets.

"You picked up the art much quicker than I ever did. Every doubt I had about you being an Uzumaki has been blown out of the water," Jiraiya said as he set the parchment on the ground. "You seem to have a prodigious level of talent for fūinjutsu."

"Well I must admit that you explained it all very well. You seem to have a knack for teaching people the art, Jiraiya-sensei" Yurushi said with a smirk. It was still awkward calling another man Sensei, but with each passing day Jiraiya had proved himself worthy of the title. Even though he didn't give Naruto that much individualized training, Naruto seemed to have improved exponentially during the past four days. He had yet to master Jiraiya's final challenge, and today was the last day Jiraiya could spend teaching them. If Naruto was going to learn that jutsu he had been bribed with then he would have to be quick.

"If you're talking about how I taught the Yondaime, then I can't take credit for that. I was the guy's Sensei when he was a genin, and he was just a kid back then. I taught him the basics and he did most of the rest on his own," Yurushi's new Sensei admitted. "Heck, when it comes to fūinjutsu, he taught me most of what I know. The only thing I can take credit for was being his inspiration to become Hokage in the first place. Frankly, that is more than enough."

Yurushi looked over the work he had accomplished on the scroll. It was a seal made for storage. The design was such that it could hold inorganic matter as well as most organic matter, but living things were not safe for transport. The size of the object that could be contained was dependent on the amount of chakra one was willing to use during the act of storage. It wasn't as intricate as the seal that had been used on him a few years earlier, but it was of his own design and for that fact alone, he was proud of it.

"How about we get started on some paper bombs?" Jiraiya suggested holding up a few slips of paper.

"Um, alright," Yurushi agreed tentatively. While Jiraiya had previously stated that this was an early stepping stone of mastering the basics, making high grade explosives was a touch different than making a glorified suitcase. "Could we go over everything one more time, just so I know it?"

"Sure," Jiraiya said while unfurling a scroll. "I'll quiz you on what you should already know while you study this. This is the sealing array for the standard paper bomb seal used in Konohagakure. What is a sealing array?"

"The sealing array is the full design of the seal, and it determines precisely how the chakra used will be molded and manipulated. The sealing array is often called the key to a seal because that is the seal's blueprint. By making or understanding a key one knows precisely how the seal should interact with the chakra used, the sealed object, and what it is sealed in. One would also understand how to disable the seal or unseal something safely if generic methods don't work," Yurushi answered while admiring the simple elegance of the paper bomb sealing array.

"Very good, what is a sealing tag?" Jiraiya asked.

"The sealing tag is the remnants of the sealing array after it has been applied. It is a snapshot of what the seal's purpose is and how the array has been designed," Yurushi was amazed at the array he was studying. As best he could tell the seal contained the explosion that the paper bomb produces, and releases it on a time delay after the chakra is applied to the tag is activated with the appropriate hand seal. Exactly what explosion was contained, Yurushi had yet to determine.

"Correct. The sealing tag is something that separates the casual practitioner and the fūinjutsu master in two ways. The first is that the master can largely determine the form and function of a seal's array just by examining the tag," Jiraiya punctuated by holding up one finger. Lifting a second he continued "the second is that a true master of fūinjutsu can place a seal without drawing up a new sealing array each time. How does one accomplish that?"

Yurushi had to think about this one. The array of a seal worked like a blueprint that told the chakra being used what to do in order to achieve the desired result. The entire art was little more than the application of chakra theory. Theoretically, every seal was capable of being used without a sealing tag or array at all. Of course theory is not often practical seeing as how if this were used for every technique in place of a permanent seal, the sealed object would either be immediately unsealed or irretrievable. All that the design of a seal did was mold chakra in ways that the user could not, whether the reasons be physical or situational. Epiphany, Yurushi had his answer. "A fūinjutsu master can place a seal without drawing the array by learning which hand seals are required to mold their chakra in order to create the seal freely."

"Bingo, nice work kid," Jiraiya said with a smirk. "This is one of the things that made the Yondaime Hokage so famous. He utilized fūinjutsu to create incredibly powerful jikūkan on the fly by knowing the necessary hand seals. He got so proficient with one in particular that he needed only to touch something to apply the sealing tag."

Yurushi arched an eyebrow at this. Jiraiya taught a true master of fūinjutsu, and someone who became so adept at the art that he could apply a sealing tag with but a touch. Not just any seal either, but something that would warp the very fabrics of space-time. It was a frustrating notion that such a level of skill was attainable, while he still couldn't figure out what explosion was contained in the paper bomb. He had to know, and so his curiosity destroyed his desire to learn it for himself. "Jiraiya-sensei, what exactly creates the explosion that is contained in the paper bomb seal?"

"Oh, that?" The Toad Sage answered with a wicked smile. "The paper itself creates the explosion."

Yurushi couldn't believe that, and didn't try to hide the sentiment on his face, but Jiraiya swore up and down that it did. Yurushi doubted that until Jiraiya took one of the blank sheets and set it away at a considerable distance. He then created a something called a Kage Bunshin which proceeded to grumble at the order to use a particular Katon technique on the paper. Doing so resulted in a small sizable explosion that filled Yurushi with amazement. This was partly from the sight of an explosion, and partly because Jiraiya was correct.

"How is that even possible?" Yurushi asked.

"It's pretty simple really," Jiraiya answered as he sat back down to explain. "When the paper is being created certain compounds are added to make it extremely volatile. The paper itself is actually quite chakra resistant by nature and so only a high level Katon technique could trigger it externally. The sealing array is designed to contain a small spark or flame created when the seal is first applied, and the chakra needed to trigger the explosion. When the chakra that the seal contains is activated the seal begins to breakdown which weakens the barrier between the fire and the paper. It will do that until the explosion has nowhere to go but out, and then… boom!"

"That doesn't sound simple," Yurushi was kind of lost. "If the paper is chakra resistant then how does the seal even work?"

"It's all in the seal's design kid. The seal itself is a lot like a storage seal. The array is built to store enough chakra to overcome the natural resistance of the paper. It's a low level technique because the array does all of the real work, but chūnin and above are the ones that make the explosives because genin don't typically have enough chakra to make more than five paper bombs a day." Jiraiya said rather smugly.

"That still doesn't explain how the paper itself doesn't resist the explosion if the fire is created with chakra," Yurushi still didn't fully understand, but it was nothing that research couldn't answer if Jiraiya didn't.

"Natural fire is entirely effective. A weak flame or a lighter could set this paper off, seal or not. Hell, I've even seen an ember trigger one once. Only a very powerful nature transformation could be stored in the seal and produce an effective explosion. I would say nothing less than a jōnin who has an affinity for Katon and has mastered their element could pull that off. Still, without the seal the explosion isn't nearly as powerful. The one I showed you would have been at least twice as big if I had done it properly."

Yurushi was satisfied with the explanation, and the pair turned to see Naruto jumping with excitement ceaselessly repeating that he finally did it. Yurushi grinned at his cousin's success, as Jiraiya waved for him to come over.

"Sorry kid, but Naruto gets the rest of my time today. Keep the scrolls that I gave you. You're pretty astute for someone your age, so if you keep studying then you should be able to advance on your own," Jiraiya said with a grin as they watched Naruto run toward them wearing a face splitting smile. The man turned back to Yurushi for a quick glance "Just like the Yondaime, I point you in the right direction and you do the rest."

"Thank you Jiraiya-sensei," Yurushi replied with a deep bow. Despite the elder ninja's occasional _antics_, he was worthy of respect in that Jiraiya had taught him quite well. More so, Jiraiya had laid the foundations so he could learn the Uzumaki sealing style. Further still, Jiraiya believed he was as capable as his most famous student. Even in such a short period of time, Jiraiya had earned the right to be called sensei without any qualms.

Jiraiya stood and Naruto lifted his feet to find the leaves were firmly attached to the souls of his sandals. "See," the boy said "now do I get to learn the jutsu?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jiraiya replied feigning annoyance. "I'll teach you like I promised. Before I start I have some conditions for you, so listen up runt."

Naruto frowned at the name, but listened attentively. "First," Jiraiya began listing, "you cannot use this technique in the Academy unless specifically instructed. Second, you can't show off to your friends using this jutsu. Third, you can't tell anyone except for the Hokage that you know this technique until you become a genin. Lastly, you _cannot_ use it when you are training or studying by yourself."

"Aww, that's like saying I can't use it at all," Naruto complained. "What's the fun in that?"

"This is serious business kid. A ninja has to keep his trump cards a secret, and if I can't trust you enough to do what I say then I can't trust you enough to teach you everything I've learned over the years. If you can follow the rules I set for you, then I will know I can trust you enough to teach you more. I probably won't be back for a few years, but if you followed my rules and you don't graduate as the dead last of your class, then I'll teach you another awesome jutsu when I'm in town," Jiraiya bribed. It was clever to incentivize Naruto in such a way, and Yurushi wished that he had thought of it himself. Yet, threatening the ramen supply seemed to be an equally effective motivation at times, but even that would have its limits.

"I'll do it!" Naruto declared.

"Now, from what I've seen you suck at the Bunshin no Jutsu," Jiraiya said matter-of-factly and Naruto sulked. "I have a way around that little problem."

Jiriaya placed the index and middle fingers of both hands in a cross shaped hand seal, which Yurushi knew was far from a traditional hand seal. He briefly wondered how many _nonstandard_ hand seals existed because Katsushiro-sensei taught him several during their time together. There were so many different ways to mold chakra.

"It's called the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," and three very real clones of Jiraiya sprung into existence. Yurushi was suddenly grateful Jiraiya added those rules. Naruto clones running around would drive him insane.


	5. Enrollment Day

**Chapter 5: Enrollment Day**

"That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong." - F. Scott Fitzgerald

* * *

The classroom was quite peaceful during the hour before school began. After finishing his katas on the roof in the early morning and fixing a light breakfast, Yurushi had found a simple routine in just going to the Academy after eating. In the week since Jiraiya-sensei had left Naruto had become rather driven to succeed in his schooling. The child still refused to rise at what he considered to be a decent hour, but there was no longer a struggle to get Naruto up for school. Yurushi didn't know what results were being produced in the classroom, but time would tell how the bewhiskered boy was fairing on that front.

_Strange is the sunrise_

The brush strokes were crisp and clear against the fresh white background of the paper. His poetry had been his sanctuary in the past month. Life in this village was different. Not necessarily bad, but different, and a far cry from anything he was comfortable with. He longed for life on the road. His heart ached for the quiet trips down paths where few feet trod, and the silent connection that he and Katsushiro-sensei shared. There wasn't anything else like that to be found in this place. There was noise everywhere, and silence came only at night while his cousin rested and the world lay still. When the sun rose in the morning, however, it rose in the same place, gave light to the same streets, and illuminated how different everything would be from here on out.

The first week he had to adjust to Naruto and learning about the boy who was proved to be his cousin. Naruto was a person that wore you down. He seemed to be endlessly energetic, easily excitable, and utterly exhausting. Yet, he was so genuine it was difficult not to appreciate his company. Jiraiya-sensei had shown up and given him another change of pace to adjust to. He had learned a great deal about the shinobi and was taught several things which Katsushiro-sensei had not known. While he felt quite prepared for life in the Academy, Yurushi was not entirely certain of what to expect.

What he found was an interesting mix of childhood social life and killers in training. There seemed to be little balance between the two either. The class instructor, a chūnin named Mizuki, did little to discourage the immaturity of several of the students as Katsushiro-sensei had done with him. Most of the students didn't quite know what to do with his arrival, and Yurushi wasn't quite sure what to do with them either. While he had hoped that he could make a few friends, he didn't want to force that desire upon someone else. As a result he did nothing, and waited to see who would make the first move. Some students also took this wait and see approach, pretending that he had always been there or was not there at all. To a few others, the girls in the class, he was an object of their affection or something of that nature. Those sentiments didn't help him feel welcome at all. He simply felt out of place.

_A room now in disarray_

Still, the truth lay here in this village. Somewhere, the answers that he wanted could be found, that much was certain to him. For now, that was reason enough to stay. If it were not important Katsushiro-sensei would not have presented him with his sword. If it were not was his mission then Katsushiro-sensei would not have given the order. So, even if he did not belong, he would stay. Yurushi would stay until he learned the truth of his mother, his clan, and his place within their legacy. It was all he could do to honor her sacrifice.

He heard noise in the back of the classroom. He didn't move to see who it was, he already knew. A boy wearing the gi of a martial artist took his seat on the other end of the room by the window. Rock Lee was his name, and he was about as out of place in the ninja world as Yurushi was. Lee had no talent, no clan, and did not seem to posses the ability to use ninjutsu. Still, there he sat. Just like every day, a half an hour early to class. The boy tried his hardest, but he always failed. He continued to sweat, strive, and struggle only to be mocked by his classmates. It was a strange thing, but he saw the same spark in Lee that he saw growing in Naruto. Lee possessed an unyielding passion to achieve his goals. Even though they never spoke with one another, Yurushi was confident that Lee could achieve his dreams if he could find the right teacher. After all, Mizuki had said in his lecture that the majority of ninja battles are decided with taijutsu, and that was an art that Lee could potentially grow in.

Mizuki walked in and set his lessons upon his desk and began writing on the board with a grumble in his voice. Yurushi couldn't quite hear what he was complaining about, but he assumed it was another one of the "lover's spats" that the young teacher shared with his girlfriend. No details were given, but that was the gist of his muttered comments. Once finished he turned and greeted the two early birds in a casual, but warm manner. Yurushi and Lee both responded in kind. He couldn't help but wonder why, but Yurushi felt something was off about his instructor. Katsushiro-sensei had always encouraged him to trust his gut instincts about people, and study them carefully. There was nothing terribly unusual about the man, but that was the most disturbing thought. He had sparred with Mizuki during their taijutsu lesson, and he was much more skilled than Iruka was. The difference was quite significant, and yet he was a middle-of-the road ninja teaching children. It was curious.

As more and more students began to file in, he couldn't quite find the last line for his poem. This was something that was happening more frequently than he would prefer; certainly more frequently than had happened before living in Konohagakure. Dozens of unfinished poems sat on his desk at home. This was mostly courtesy of Naruto's boredom, but some of it was caused by another reason. He had yet to figure out why his writer's block was happening or what was causing it, but he suspected that it was connected to how he felt out of place. Yurushi looked up from the page to see a girl staring at him. Her face was one of frustration, but there was no explanation for it. The way this girl was looking at him was as if he should know why she was angry. There were others flanking her, and they all wore similar scowls.

"You're in his seat," she said with venom.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Yurushi replied with honesty hoping that they would leave him alone. It was not meant to be.

"You do too!" another voice rang out from the group.

"You're in Neji-kun's seat," the ring leader said again.

Clarity was brought to the situation and Yurushi finally understood what was happening. Hyūga Neji was the top of the class, an elite shinobi in the making, and apparently the class heartthrob. _Neji-kun_ never gave any of these girls the time of day, and Yurushi couldn't blame him either. Still, that didn't deter the ravenous group of preteen girls in their attempts at winning his affection. They had only become more defensive of their desired boyfriend's reputation since he had apparently caused a schism in their group.

"You think you're so cool, but Neji-kun is the best!" the leader proclaimed with affirmation from her supporters.

"There is no way that you'll beat Neji-kun," said another girl from the crowd.

"Yeah, Neji-kun will totally put you in your place during the taijutsu lesson today," the leader declared with blind confidence.

Yurushi had seen the boy fight, and Neji was gifted in the art of taijutsu. Still, it was a challenge, a mark to measure himself against. His taijutsu had improved with Jiraiya-sensei's guidance, but he was aware that it was far from one of his strengths. Katsushiro-sensei had told him that people are to be measured by their weaknesses not by their strengths. As such, the fight against Neji would help him gauge just how much Jiraiya's training regimen had helped.

"I suppose we will find out in due time," Yurushi responded as several icy stares settled on him, and were suddenly broken when the girls were distracted. Their gaze had been drawn to the entrance to the class. Their _Neji-kun_ had arrived.

"Look Neji-kun!" the leader shouted pointing at Yurushi. "This guy stole your seat, and he won't move!"

The dark crimson haired boy turned to see Neji's pupil-less eyes were studying him carefully. There was no emotion on his face, but he maintained his impassive composure. There was a slight nod, a greeting perhaps, which Yurushi returned.

"Fool," Neji said not quite under his breath as he went to claim a seat near the window in the back row. As best he could tell, there was no ill will being thrown in his direction. It seemed that _Neji-kun_ just wanted nothing to do with his fan club.

"See that, loser?" The leader of the group of girls said with a grin. "Neji-kun doesn't even think you're worth his time. You can have that seat. It's probably tainted now anyway."

The girls moved on, no longer interested in him and with relief Yurushi returned his attention to his unfinished poem. He heard some movement behind him, and sighed as he realized that he may not finish this poem either.

"Sorry about all of that," a girl offered in sympathy. She wore a qipao styled blouse that was a sky blue. Her eyes pierced into him with the strength of steel. They were not harsh, but the grey eyes seemed to be tempered. She was a determined one who had something to prove, and Yurushi wondered what she was trying to prove, and to whom. Her short bangs fell freely on her forehead while the majority of her brown hair was tied up into twin buns on the back of her head. "Those girls just don't know skill when they see it."

"They were no real trouble," Yurushi answered, and it was almost true. The girls were far too annoying, but other than that were mostly harmless.

"That's the point. They are just embarrassing, and if they spent as much time training as they did obsessing over Neji then no one would ever doubt how strong a kunoichi could be," she said with restrained frustration. "Where are my manners? The name's Tenten."

She offered her hand as a gesture of greeting, and Yurushi shook it. "My name is Uzumaki Yurushi."

"Nice swords," Tenten said with a grin and a gesture toward the wakazashi and katana strapped to his waist. "Do you mind if I check one out? I'm something of a weapon's specialist and love learning different weapon styles."

Carefully he handed the girl his katana, and to his own surprise, she received it with equal care. She drew it and examined the blade much as he would after he completed his routine maintenance. "It's got a nice balance to it, and it seems as if it has seen some combat before, but the blade doesn't appear to have many stress fractures. It's been maintained very well."

"It was given to me by my master, and it had been his for many years. He was a samurai during the Third Shinobi War and saw some combat in Iwagakure," Yurushi explained to perhaps the only person he had met so far who would appreciate the history of his most prized possession. "From the stories he told me, my master even served with the Daimyō's honor guard."

"That's really cool," she responded sheathing the katana and returning it to him. She waved, seemingly to no one, and Yurushi turned to look at whoever Tenten had just greeted. It was another girl with shoulder length white hair. She had quizzical looking violet eyes that were fixed on Tenten, as if asking a silent question. The girl looked at him briefly and smiled. Yurushi smiled back, a bit sheepishly, and was about to introduce himself.

"Tenten, aren't you going to sit with me? Class is going to start any minute now," the girl asked.

"Yeah I was just talking to the new kid, and apologizing for Neji's fan club," the girl joked brazenly as a wicked looking grin formed on her once sweet face "but now that you're here let me make some introductions. Yukimura Hanami say hello to Uzumaki Yurushi."

"Nice to meet you," Yurushi calmly took initiative.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Yurushi-san," she responded with a bow in what seemed to be a very well-practiced greeting. The greeting compounded with her uncommon physical features, it was quite evident that this girl had a clan background of some variety.

"The pleasure is mine, but you do not need such formality with me," Yurushi responded coolly. Tenten quietly excused herself, and Yurushi picked up his brush hoping that inspiration would strike soon.

"Are you writing a poem?" The white haired girl asked tentatively. She seemed nervous, but there was no real reason as to why. None that he could think of at least.

"I'm trying to, but the last line of the haiku I started has been eluding me," Yurushi answered with a furrowed brow. He thought he had something, but he wasn't sure if it fit.

"Well, I'm going to go join Tenten. Good luck with figuring it out Yurushi," she said and he met her violet eyes. There was something about her. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he had the feeling that they would speak again, perhaps on a more frequent basis. That idea was something he could agree with; the idea of having a real friend.

"Thank you, I'll see you later," Yurushi said questioningly as Hanami got up to leave.

"Yeah, I'll talk to you later," the girl smiled warmly. "Oh, and I'll be rooting for you when you spar with Neji today. I hope you win. Neji needs to learn some humility, and a loss might just teach him a little bit of it."

Her whispered vote of confidence made him feel good about the coming spar. Not that he was going to try and show off, or attempt to impress his classmates. He planned on giving his best effort just as he always did. That warm feeling came from the simple fact that someone his own age wanted him to succeed. A peer was hoping he would do well. A friend, perhaps, offered support and well wishes. He set the brush to paper and formed the last line of the poem.

_Missing pieces now found_

With satisfaction he returned his scroll and writing supplies to his pack as Mizuki began his first lecture of the day. Maybe, just maybe, he could find his place here in this strange new world.

* * *

She was upset at her situation, the idiot she was sitting next to, but mostly at herself. Her mother made her clean her room before she left for the Academy and it had cost her severely. Now, instead of sitting next to Sasuke-kun, she was stuck next to the bozo Naruto. She brushed a few stray strands of her long bubblegum pink locks behind her ear and settled in for what was sure to be a long and upsetting day.

Iruka-sensei had said that today was largely going to be a lecture day, which was good. Academics were her strong suit. Sure she performed well enough in the more physical aspects of the Academy's training, but in the classroom she shined. That pig Ino may have an upper hand in taijutsu, and occasionally bests her in the shuriken throwing, but here Sakura was unbeatable. Sasuke-kun would soon be able to see the true value of a woman with both beauty and brains.

'_Once I prove to Sasuke-kun that I'm obviously his best choice for a girlfriend he'll ask me out for sure. I just have to make sure that Ino doesn't get to him first,_' she thought to herself as Iruka began his lesson.

"Alright class," the chūnin instructor started, "who can remember where we left off in our history lesson yesterday?"

Sakura's hand was about to shoot into the air so she could answer the question. It may have been simple, but even the little things add up. The idiot sitting to her right decided that now was a good time to give her a nudge in her arm.

"Psst," he whispered, "Sakura-chan, do you have a pencil I can borrow?"

"Do you want to take notes, or are you trying to pull a prank Naruto?" Sakura quietly asked with as harsh a tone as she could while still being quiet. There had been a few instances where Naruto borrowed a pencil or a pen from an unsuspecting neighbor only to throw it at whatever Iruka-sensei was holding as if it were an improvised senbon needle. Usually he missed, but the times he had hit his mark were really funny. She couldn't laugh of course. First, she wouldn't give that moron the satisfaction of knowing she thought his pranks were hilarious. Second, Sasuke-kun never laughed at Naruto's pranks so she couldn't either if she wanted to impress him. If Sasuke-kun didn't have time for childish games then neither did she.

"I was gonna take notes, honest!" Naruto whispered back. "All I have is a pen, but if we get a pop quiz or something then I would make a big mess crossing out all of my mistakes. I'll even trade you the pen for a pencil if you are that worried about getting it back."

"That's correct Ino," Iruka-sensei spoke over the class serving to remind Sakura of her missed opportunity. Ino turned back toward the green eyed girl and stuck out her tongue, which made Sakura want to try and rip that ridiculously long blonde pony-tail off the back of her head "Last time we were discussing the major battles and events of the Second Shinobi World War."

"Please Sakura-chan," Naruto quietly pleaded.

If he really wanted to borrow a pencil it wasn't that big of a deal. He was a hopeless idiot for sure, but that didn't mean that she was going to keep him from trying. She really couldn't afford to be party to one of his pranks though. Otherwise Sasuke-kun would think she was a loser just like Naruto was. There was, however, something different about Naruto this past week. He seemed to be more focused. He was the same old loud mouthed braggart that he had always been, but he honestly appeared to be putting effort into his school work. He had yet to make any progress that she could tell, and he would probably give up when he realized he wasn't gaining ground, but the difference was becoming noticeable. She sighed slightly and grabbed a spare pencil that she had tucked away, just in case.

"Fine," Sakura said sliding the pencil over toward the blond haired menace, "but if anyone asks, you didn't get it from me. Got it?"

"Thanks Sakura-chan," Naruto responded with glee. The boy gave her a broad smile as he scratched the back of his head. "I owe ya one."

"Don't mention it," she mumbled under her breath, slightly embarrassed, "ever."

"Naruto," Iruka called out. "Did you know the answer to the question?"

Iruka-sensei sounded a little too hopeful to Sakura. '_Maybe he's noticed Naruto's changes in behavior too,_' she thought. '_Not that it's going to help Naruto get the question right though._'

"Umm, sorry Iruka-sensei I didn't really hear the question," Naruto admitted sparing a few glances toward her. "I was kinda daydreaming about, umm, uhhh, ramen."

'_Typical Naruto,_' Sakura thought as she heard a few of her classmates snicker at the boy's confession. She was grateful that he didn't admit her involvement in his distraction, but couldn't help but feel like burying her face into her hands. '_That boy has ramen on the brain twenty four seven._'

"I was just asking if anyone knew the names of the Sannin," Iruka-sensei clarified, "you know, the three legendary ninja."

Sakura studied Naruto's reaction. His brow was creased and folded while he was deep in thought. It was a perfect opportunity to one up that pig Ino. Once Naruto flopped she would swoop in with the right answer, and really impress Sasuke-kun. It was perfect. Loaning a pencil seemed to have paid back in dividends.

"Oh yeah! I remember now!" Naruto shouted, and Sakura balked. There was no way he actually knew who the Sannin were. '_He wouldn't know the Sannin if they walked up and smacked him in the face_,' she thought.

"The Sannin are Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru," the blond said proudly. Sakura stared at him in shock. She was dumbstruck, as was the rest of the class. "That crazy hermit told me that they became Sannin after they fought some giant salamander or something."

"Very good Naruto," Iruka-sensei chuckled. "That's not quite how they gained the title Sannin, but it was close."

As Iruka-sensei went on explaining how the Sannin got their titles Sakura was focused on the boy sitting next to her. He wrote down his notes, oblivious to the fact her stare may as well have been drilling a hole in his head. Only one thought formed in her head. It was a nagging question, and it gnawed at her brain. '_When did Naruto get so different?_'

If there is one thing that didn't sit well with Sakura, aside from Ino and Naruto, it was a question that she didn't know the answer to. Somehow she would find out what caused Naruto become a little bit less of an annoyance, and a little bit more normal.

* * *

His hands and arms were held up in a loose guard. His feet were wide set, but his balance was firm. Through the tips of his dark crimson bangs cold, steel blue eyes focused on him. It was not a true test, because he would win. Neji always won, just as fate had decreed. Still, the spar should prove to be entertaining enough to warrant a true showing. With most of the students in his class, Neji held back. There was no need to waste time and talent on fools and failures, and few had earned the right to be given such attentions.

"Alright," Mizuki said standing between the two combatants, "now that we have the niceties out of the way let me lay down some ground rules. First, no jutsu of any kind. Second, no Byakugan or Jūken for you Neji."

That was to be expected. It was commonplace for the Academy for them to limit the clan techniques so that the civilian raised ninja could stand a chance. Besides, the Jūken was not really a style to be used in a friendly spar. Perhaps it would be aloud when he was placed in a team with a Jōnin Sensei, but even then the Jūken was a style of fighting not to be used lightly. It required perfect precision to properly execute, and when that was done it was possible to kill a man with a single touch. Fate had gifted Neji with such precision, and he knew that he wielded the weapons needed to achieve greatness.

"Yes Sensei," Neji acknowledged the command and accepted it.

"Thirdly, Yurushi will not use his swords," Mizuki said with a smirk, "but that should hardly be a temptation since I'll be holding on to them for now."

"Yes Mizuki-sensei," the boy responded. Neji thought he sensed hesitation in his reply. Reasonable, given he had been stripped of his primary method of attack. From what Neji had heard around the Hyūga compound, for an accomplished swordsman to be stripped of his weapon is equivalent of a Hyūga with no arms. They would still dangerous all the same, but severely crippled.

"Begin," Mizuki commanded.

Nothing happened, but Neji was patient. He would wait for Yurushi to make the first move. Yurushi may be fast, but that was all that he possessed. Speed alone will not suffice to bring Hyūga Neji to his knees, and fate would again prove him to be superior.

Yurushi's weight shifted, and even without his all-seeing eyes, Neji knew an attack was coming. The boy became a blur of movement and lashed out with a haymaker about shoulder high. Neji blocked the blow with his forearm and followed up with a counter, three strikes to the midsection in succession before Yurushi grabbed his wrist.

Under normal circumstances it would be a gamble to try and grapple a Hyūga, and the stakes could be one's life. These were not normal circumstances. Yurushi's knee connected with Neji's gut and drove the air out of his lungs. He dropped to his knees, and hands planted to the ground with Yurushi prepared to pin him down for the victory. Neji had yet to find breath, but would not be denied. He shifted his weight rolling onto his back, causing his opponent to lose his footing. Neji grabbed his opponents wrists after his own had been set free. Using this change in momentum and his body as a fulcrum, he tossed Yurushi overhead.

Neji stood with a slight quiver, and readied himself for a new assault. The distraction of a cough, and his opponent exploded into action. Neji was disadvantaged with Yurushi's speed, which was much greater than had been expected. There seemed to be a slight downside to this though. As he defended himself Neji noticed that the crimson haired boy's attacks were sloppy and poorly placed, but not for a lack of skill. Rather, it seemed as if the boy was not used to his own speed. This discrepancy would either continue, or would lessen with time, and should that be the case it was better to finish the fight now.

Neji ducked to the left and swatted away a follow up attack. Testing the boy's defenses he launched a couple tentative strikes of his own, but was careful to leave no opening. With each dodge, block, and shift of his body Neji was taking steps backward. Trying to put distance between him and his opponent, he wanted time to collect himself feeling a bit short on breath. Yurushi's grin tipped him off to the fact that he was being corralled to the tree in the courtyard. Neji smirked at the idea. Few classmates would have the presence of mind to use the terrain to their own advantage, and fewer still would possess the confidence to fight him so fearlessly. His opponent was a worthy rival. Realizing he would have no time to catch his breath he prepared to bait his trap.

Neji backpedaled sharply, enough to be out of range of the swordsman's fists, but in range of a leg if his opponent felt bold. Just as predicted, Yurushi jumped into the air in an attempt to kick Neji in the head and end the fight himself. Neji threw his left arm up to guard, and grunted with the impact. Punches and open palm strikes may have been on the weak side, but Yurushi's kicks were something else. The guard did not deter Neji's opponent, twisting air he corkscrewed his body in midair and brought his free leg down toward Neji's head in an axe kick. Neji was impressed, but not surprised. He was not defenseless, and proved it by blocking again.

This little maneuver would cost Yurushi. Neji took the moment to grab his helpless airborne opponent at the ankles. He was going to force Mizuki-sensei to end the match, or Yurushi would be slammed into the ground. Landing on the back of one's neck with great force was a surefire way to end a ninja career. Just before impact Mizuki made his move, just as predicted.

"I think you have proved yourself Neji," Mizuki-sensei said supporting Yurushi underneath his arms, just above the ground. Neji let go of his opponent somewhat satisfied. He won, but had not been trying to humiliate the boy he was fighting. Unlike the hopeless children playing ninja, who were now taunting Yurushi and cheering Neji, the young swordsman who stood opposite of him would prove worthy of the name ninja. Fate may not have blessed him with the blood of a Hyūga, but he was skilled opponent. The boy in question stood on his own two feet again, and returned his swords to their rightful place at his side. Yurushi extended his hand wordlessly, and held out two fingers. Neji wrapped his own fingers around Yurushi's in a mock handshake signifying the end of a friendly spar.

"Things would have been different if I was able to use my sword," Yurushi said with a smirk with his steel blue eyes full of confidence in his statement.

"Things would be the same as they were now. Don't forget I was equally handicapped," Neji responded quietly. "I am rarely challenged in the Academy. I could use a sparring partner near my own age that can hold their own."

"I would be interested in a rematch," Yurushi answered, joining the class as they filed back into the school building.

"Good," Neji said with a slight smirk of his own. The school year would prove to be a most interesting one. He would have to run things through the leadership of Hyūga clan, but he was confident that fate would allow him any and every opportunity to grow stronger. This Uzumaki Yurushi was likely fate's catalyst for his own growth and development. "I am eager to test myself again soon."

* * *

The shade under the old oak tree made the wait much cooler than standing under the blazing sun. Yurushi was still adjusting to the significant difference in climates than what he had been used to. He thought about that, and realized that in all of his travels with Katsushiro the only thing he had ever really adjusted to was being on the move. He never did settle down, never got used to life in one place, and certainly was never conditioned to a specific climate.

Still it was difficult to call this place home. Here he was an outsider, much like Nartuo. The strange thing was the way they were treated. Naruto was the focus of hatred and resentment from a great deal of people, and Yurushi had yet to discover why. When he was accompanying Naruto similar treatment was given to him, but when Naruto was absent attitudes were changed. People weren't overtly friendly toward him, although they didn't treat him as though he were carrying some terrible disease. Either this entire village was strange, or Naruto was. The options weren't good, but an answer had to exist somewhere.

Between the mystery of Naruto, the mystery of the key to some strange seal his mother left him, and the mystery of his mother, Yurushi's free time was spent in the Public Archives researching possible answers. The problems with that were two fold. First, he had very little free time these days, and second the Public Archives did not seem to have the answers he was looking for. Needless to say, two months of investigation had been near worthless. It was frustrating, and the early weeks of autumn were uncomfortably hot. That wasn't helping. The locals were saying it was the return of the _autumn tiger_, but they gave no signs as to when the large cat would take the high temperatures away.

He had made some progress in other areas that gave much greater satisfaction. Near the apartment a small garden of autumnal flowers had been planted, and their growth and bloom had served as inspiration for several poems. His accomplishments in the classroom were also noteworthy. In a short amount of time he had secured a number two position in the graded rankings. Just shy of the mark Neji set, but close enough to keep the pale eyed genius from slacking off. Not that he ever did, but he seemed to be more driven if the hearsay of other students was reliable information. He had spoken to Neji here and there, and while he was friendly enough the Hyūga seemed to be in a constant foul mood. Perhaps it had to do with his clan's actions in thwarting their desired sparring sessions, but Yurushi suspected there was more to it than that.

Other than Neji, he had few friends that he felt connected to. It was more along the lines of being surrounded by acquaintances; he knew everyone's name, and they knew his but there was no deep connection. Tenten would speak with him about some new weapon she was training with, or certain strategies with one style or the other, but there wasn't much else there. She was focused on her fledgling career, and it was all business until she got where she wanted to be. Hanami was a bit the opposite. She wouldn't talk about the shinobi life, and was more interested in his poetry or a budding flower. She didn't speak with him often, but each encounter made Yurushi wonder why the girl was trying to become a ninja in the first place. Expectations that she had to fulfill perhaps, but there wasn't any real resentment toward the profession. It was a curious thing; she was a curious thing.

"Hey," a voice called out snapping Yurushi from his thoughts, "you're Uzumaki Yurushi right?"

Yurushi nodded in silent response. Before him was a boy with dark brown hair, bangs propped up by a red and yellow striped bandana. He wore a simple black shirt with the kanji for hammer emblazoned in white and navy blue shorts. Just over his right shoulder was the hilt of a sword, and Yurushi wondered if this kid was just another member of his growing fan club. His fan club took two forms. First was the ever growing contingent of giggling girls who fawned over him. Neji would chide him for it, but Yurushi had a feeling that the top student in the class was grateful for less of the unwanted attention. The second part was a small group of boys which Tenten had dubbed as _The Imitators_ and the only real connection they had was that they all began to show up to class with a sword of some sort strapped to their hip. Apparently Yurushi had started a fad, and a rash of want-to-be swordsmen had sprung up.

"The name's Muramasa Kenshi," he said sticking his hand out. Yurushi shook it in greeting.

"I saw you a moment ago practicing your katas, and I was impressed by your style of kenjutsu," the boy continued unconcerned by Yurushi's lack of real response. The statement piqued his interest, and Yurushi wondered if this was really a member of _The Imitators_ after all. "It looks like it's made up of several forms, but it is almost completely rooted in Iaidō. That's a style that isn't really used by ninja much."

"Before coming to Konoha I was raised and taught by a former samurai," Yurushi began to explain but was cut off as Kenshi drew his sword. The blade of the ninjatō gleamed in the sun, and the stance the boy established let Yurushi know that Kenshi knew what he was doing.

"I challenge you to a duel," Kenshi said firmly. "An opportunity to spar against a true practitioner of Iaidō is too rare to pass up, and I have to test my skills."

Yurushi contemplated the idea. Mulling it over in his head he could see the seriousness of the boy. The sword was held in both hands and the tip of the blade was angled toward the sky jutting out toward him. It was a versatile defensive stance, and confirmed beyond all shadow of a doubt that Kenshi was a knowledgeable kenjustu practitioner. He was studied enough to recognize Iaidō and immediately established a ready defense against a quick first strike. As fun as a friendly spar would be, Yurushi couldn't afford it.

"I must respectfully decline Kenshi-san," Yurushi began "I am waiting for my cousin to be released from detention, and he should be getting out any moment now."

"Alright," the fellow swordsman responded with disappointment thick in his voice. "You can call me Kenshi if you want. I don't like all that formal junk, but if you feel like you have to then call me Kenshi-sama, Kenshi-dono, or something like that."

Yurushi tried not to laugh at the boy's gall, suggesting that he should be treated as a superior was a bit _forward_ of him. Still, it was a light-hearted enough to convince Yurushi that his comment was not to be taken seriously.

"Very well Kenshi-_dono_," Yurushi mocked, "but I must warn you that I won't be treating you with such respect when our fight begins. I take such things very seriously, and if you want to be my superior then you must earn that position."

"Good," Kenshi responded with a smirk. "I wouldn't want my subordinates to go easy on me anyway. Even when I become Hokage and bring prominence to my clan, I wouldn't want people to give me respect I didn't earn or hold back because of a title. I want the best, anything less is a waste of time."

Yurushi laughed at the thought. Kenshi wanted to be Hokage, as did Naruto. It seemed that every person he had met with an eye on the position had the same bravado and disregard for politesse. He was beginning to wonder if the same characteristics were present in the former leaders of the village, or if it were a requirement of some sort.

"Seriously though," Kenshi said sheathing his chosen weapon. "I wouldn't want you to hold back. If your last spar against Neji was anything to go by, you'd thrash me in a kenjutsu match. I won't get any better if I don't face the best, and judging by the way you go through your katas you are a very skilled and disciplined in your art. So, when we fight I want you to give me your best shot, 'cause I won't be holding back against you."

Yurushi was about to respond in kind, and let the boy know that he believed he was more skilled in his craft than he let on, but the door to the Academy opened. Naruto burst on to the scene calling out for Yurushi. He waved over to his cousin, and the blond rushed to meet him.

"Hey Yurushi!" his cousin greeted excitedly, "Sorry. I didn't mean to get in trouble. Sasuke was being a big jerk during our ninjutsu class, and I just had to pull a prank on him. I thought this one would be good enough to pull out that stick that is stuck up his-"

"Language Naruto," Yurushi warned sternly.

"What?" Naruto said with a droll accusation. "I was gonna say butt."

Kenshi laughed loudly, and Yurushi smiled with great disbelief in Naruto's claim.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted noticing the extra person. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. What's yours?"

"Muramasa Kenshi," the boy answered, "and I was trying to get your cousin to spar with me but he's being kinda lame right now."

"Yeah, he gets in these moods where he just wants to read, or write, or be by himself, or just be kinda boring you know," Naruto mused aloud much to Yurushi's displeasure. "He's not so bad though, and he's really cool most of the time you know."

Naruto and Kenshi laughed at Yurushi's expense as Kenshi recounted some stories of Yurushi in class which bordered on embarrassing. Naruto returned with several stories of his own, most of which were entirely embarrassing. Yurushi was about to leave the two to their jokes when Kenshi slapped him on the back.

"I hope we aren't getting on your nerves there Yurushi, but what are friends for if not for making fun of one another every once in a while," the young ninja in training said with a broad smile.

"Yeah, I am always pulling pranks and joking around with Yurushi cause he's like my best friend," Naruto confirmed.

Yurushi smiled, genuinely amazed the notion of having a true friend. Maybe they were right. Maybe being a friend was more than just sharing some common interest, or talking all of the time. Perhaps being a friend was just being comfortable around someone else that appreciated who you were. It could be that even though you still did stupid or humiliating things, a true friend would want you around in spite of it all. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Well, I better get going," Kenshi said with a vicious looking smirk "I'll see you in class tomorrow Yurushi. Maybe after school we can bloody each other up for a couple rounds."

"Maybe," Yurushi answered slightly concerned about the attempted humor. He hoped it was humor because he really didn't want to cause any permanent damage, especially to a new friend.

"Hey let's go home already! Or maybe go to Ichiraku's," Naruto said eager to hit the road.

"No ramen tonight," Yurushi said in response and turned back to Kenshi as Naruto shed tears of disappointment, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Saying goodbyes Yurushi walked home with Naruto in tow. He listened half-mindedly as his younger cousin rattled on about all of the things he learned in class, and listed the things that he wanted to show Yurushi after dinner. The rest of the year was sure to be an interesting one.


	6. Subtle Differences

**Chapter 6: Subtle Differences**

"It may happen sometimes that a long debate becomes the cause of a longer friendship. Commonly, those who dispute with one another at last agree." - Elbert Hubbard

* * *

It was a busy day. The street was packed with people walking to and fro buying up this and that, and just going about the business of the day. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was not always something that he engaged in but today, Umino Iruka felt like taking things easy. The past year felt as though it had rushed by without so much as a hello. Now, with the last free weekend before classes start back up Iruka felt the need to relax as much as possible.

The school year was always exhausting. Long hours, high stress, and few breaks usually meant that an Academy instructor stuck with the job about a year or two tops. Iruka was in his seventh year at the Academy, and had no plans on leaving. In fact, it would take an order from the Hokage himself to get him to leave, and he might even fight such an order as much as decorum allowed.

Long hours were brought on by the fact that eight of those hours in his day were spent in class. Anywhere between one and three hours a day were dedicated to lesson planning and grading papers. Then there were the staff meetings, discussions with parents, and detention with Naruto. Of course, the instances of disciplining the wild child were becoming fewer and fewer. Naruto's improvement in class was largely in the areas of behavior and attendance however, his grades were steadily rising. It was a remarkable turn-around, and he often wondered what Jiraiya did to get the boy to change. He was perhaps the only person in the Academy who was privy to that five day training session, and Naruto was very tight lipped about it. He had expected the boy to brag about it, but there had been no instance.

His stress would often stem from the students attitudes in class. Several of the girls were melodramatically competing for the affections of Uchiha Sasuke. The boy in question was largely perturbed by them, and dismissed the rest of the class entirely. Iruka had tried to develop a mentor-student relationship with the boy, but to no avail. The young genius would listen during lectures and excel at every assignment, but kept the world at an arm's length. The instructor worried that the trauma the child had suffered had ruined any hope of a normal life. It was difficult to imagine, coming home from school one day to find your entire clan, your family, everyone you knew and loved was slaughtered by the elder brother you idolized. There was no describing the betrayal Sasuke must have felt. What words existed that could describe it?

Shaking off the dark thoughts, Iruka did a mental check of his schedule as he weaved his way through the busy street. The duty of any ninja stationed for permanent assignments in the village varied. While he couldn't speak for someone who served in an administrative capacity he knew the standing policy for all shinobi who worked full time in the village. Full time assignments in the village were a highly desired proposition. The pay was good, not as good as shinobi who served in the field, but it was steady income. You lived at home, so it was perfect for those who had a family or were planning on starting one. There was low risk, and that was the kicker. Most ninja began their career looking for action and adventure, and ended their careers hoping they would never see such things again. Once people saw the death of a comrade, or killed the enemy with their own hands in combat, they rarely wanted to see field work again.

Sure the jobs in the village were lack luster, and they wouldn't give anyone the reputation of a person like Hatake Kakashi or Maito Gai, but you served the village just the same. The difference is you had fewer nightmares, fewer faces with life leaving their eyes burned into the brain, fewer regrets, and less blood to stain the soul. It was a trade-off many were scrambling to make. The counter balance to a good night's sleep in your own bed was the lack of any social life. While an active duty ninja who served in the field typically formed close knit bonds with a number of comrades, the ninja who did grunt work in the village rarely had a spare moment. This was because every active duty shinobi had to be mission ready at all times. It didn't matter if you were pushing papers for the Hokage or teaching the Bunshin no jutsu to kids in the Academy; you had to be ready for action at a moment's notice.

Iruka had to train just as tirelessly as any other shinobi, just in case. As a result, his only friends were his fellow colleagues at the Academy. His closest friend was one of the only other instructors who had been teaching as long as he had. He saw his destination through the heads of villagers navigating the crowded street and he wondered if his friend had already arrived. It was an informal meeting, but one he felt necessary given all of the changes that had happened over the past year. His colleague agreed, but only if they could meet over lunch since he wanted to get in an early morning training session with his girlfriend. Dating a kunoichi in field duty was a challenge. Dating any kunoichi was a challenge.

Trust was always key to a romantic relationship. Iruka had tried dating a few times with limited success. It always ended no matter who he was involved with, and it always ended over the same issue, trust. For civilians the issue of trust came easier at first, but it was difficult to maintain. Missions were a matter of secrecy, and secrets could only swirl around the head for so long until the intangible possibilities became concrete accusations. Ultimately, those who had not lived in the ninja world could not or would not wrap their minds around the infinite secrets in a shinobi's life. The other side of the story was that shinobi were never fond of sharing secrets. Sometimes the secrets were a matter of following orders. Other times, the secrets kept were the result of shame and guilt for what you had done; for what had to be done.

Dating a fellow shinobi was a different matter entirely. Trust was still the primary issue, but to trust a fellow assassin, another person trained in the arts of stealth, deception, and bloodshed, was a tall order. Initiating the level of trust necessary, and coming to a point where you can comfortably place your life in the hands of another person was difficult. It was especially problematic when the shinobi was trained to put a knife in the back of the vulnerable. Taught from the beginning that trust was both a weapon and a liability that was not to be carried lightly, and the shinobi should always be on guard. The shinobi should always be cautious of those who seek their trust.

Konohagakure was a bit different in its approach. The ninja of the village have been trained to distrust all other shinobi, but their fellow comrades were worthy of that life altering freedom. It made for a less stressful environment for those who served in a variety of different groups. It also eased the minds to know that, no matter who served at your side, and no matter how you felt about each other they would always guard your back. The downside was that it made betrayal all the more enraging. For a person trained to trust their comrades, it could break the will to have a comrade abandon that bond.

Again, shaking his head of the dark thoughts he drew back the flap serving as the entrance to his appointed meeting place. Not seeing his friend, he took a seat at the first empty stool.

"Good to see you again Iruka-san," said the strong voice of an elderly man from behind the counter. His forehead beaded with sweat from his long hours in the heat of the kitchen. He was a warmhearted soul, and someone who had earned Iruka's respect long ago.

"It's good to see you too Teuchi-san," Iruka returned the greeting. "How are things going for you and Ayame-chan?"

"We're doing quite well," Teuchi responded as his teenage daughter blushed slightly from Iruka's teasing as she darted to the back of the shop, "just trying to keep up with the craziness around here. You picked a good time our lunch rush just ended."

"Good, I'm meeting someone here, and I was hoping it wouldn't be too busy," Iruka delighted at the fortune of his timing. "It gets kind of hard to hear yourself think when this place is crowded."

Teuchi laughed heartily "But I like it here when it's busy! It really gets the adrenaline pumping, and it doesn't hurt my bottom line either."

Iruka laughed alongside the man. Teuchi was a businessman, but his passion was cooking. If the restaurant was a bust or a gold mine it wouldn't make any difference at all to him, so long as he cooked. Ramen Ichiraku had been an institution in the village for decades. It has survived destruction two times over, and it still stands strong. The reason for this was largely because of the chef at the helm. He served. He loved doing it too, and it wasn't just ramen he was serving. He was serving people, and the food was just a method. Teuchi was a good chef but a great man, and people recognized that in him. The food here was an afterthought more times than not. Great food got people in the door, but good service and the idea of companionship kept them coming back for more.

"So what will it be? The usual I'm guessing," the boisterous chef asked.

"I'll take a bowl of miso ramen," Iruka confirmed.

"Ayame, order's up!" Teuchi shouted as he retreated into the kitchen.

The flap behind Iruka dividing the ramen stand from the busy street was lifted, and Iruka looked over his shoulder to see the newcomer.

"Iruka," the man greeted with a slight edge, "why do you insist on coming here?"

"Because it's good food Mizuki," Iruka answered with a grin. He knew Mizuki was probably aggravated with something his girlfriend had just said or did, but it was compounded by arriving at Ichiraku's

"You know I hate ramen, but you always want to meet up here. I can't stand it. I wish you wouldn't always insist on it," the man growled as he took a seat.

"Well, if you would _try_ to meet with _me_ instead of the other way around then you could pick the meeting place," Iruka retorted.

"Whatever," Mizuki relented as Teuchi returned and took his order, which was to be surprised. Once the chef left to fulfill the request of the disgruntled instructor, Mizuki turned back to his long-time friend. "So what is this little meeting about anyway?"

"I just wanted to discuss the upcoming school year and get your feel on the graduating class. You did ask me to help you with the examinations for this year so I would be ready for next year's exams," Iruka explained.

"Fair enough," Mizuki responded. "I guess I should give you an idea of what my students are like so you know what to expect at the end of the year. It wouldn't do for you to be ill equipped when it's your turn to take the lead now would it?"

Iruka rolled his eyes at the verbal jab. Mizuki and Iruka had been teaching for around the same amount of time, but Mizuki's parents had practically groomed him for the Academy position. As such, his student-teaching period had been one year instead of the two years Iruka had spent. Once the prospective Academy Instructor has served enough hours working underneath an active instructor they were placed in a class. Either the teacher was just as greenhorn as the newly formed class, or the new teacher was filling in a vacancy. Typically, a teacher stayed with their class the entire six years to graduation. Mizuki was placed in a class which was a year ahead of Iruka's, and because of this and their long-time friendship they would partner with one another for a variety of tasks. One of which was the graduation exam.

"So how many do you expect to graduate this year?" Iruka questioned.

"Well the way things are shaping up I would venture a guess of about thirty of the kids will graduate the placement exams," Mizuki said thought fully as he was fishing for something lost inside a travel pack.

"Impressive," Iruka replied with a whistle. Class sizes ranged between thirty five and forty kids depending on how many students were enrolled that particular year. To have more than three fourths of a class make placement was the mark of an excellent teacher. It could also just be that the majority of the class was extremely talented, but usually it was a credit to the instructor. Iruka was expecting around sixty percent of his class to be placed on a genin team, and felt proud with that number. He teased Mizuki a lot about being a teacher who seems to hate kids, but clearly he knew what he was doing. "What kind of exam are you working on?"

"Well, the lowest score in the class across the board is with the Kawarimi no Jutsu. It's not that the students can't do it, but most of them don't have the timing down," Mizuki mused having found a stack of files containing all sorts of papers. Iruka guessed it was student evaluations, and if it was then his partner in education proved once again to have a great instinct in reading people. He clearly knew what the meeting would be about, and was obviously ready to discuss the issue at length. After heaving out the last few files he had stored in his pack Mizuki handed a few to Iruka. "That is the exam I have planned out. It's tentative for now, and I'll give the kids about half of the school year to show me what they can do before I finalize things."

"There is quite a bit here," Iruka felt a bit overwhelmed at the information he was studying. There was a written portion, an accuracy portion, and a ninjutsu portion to the exam. "So what makes the Kawarimi so special to your exam?"

"Let me break down the whole thing," Mizuki began. "We have to evaluate our student's ability to retain information. Knowing details of just about anything coupled with the ability to recall that information makes all the difference in the field, so that is why the written portion is there. The accuracy portion is there for practical reasons as well, because if you can't throw a kunai or a shuriken and hit your mark you won't last long. The ninjutsu portion, as Academy policy stipulates, is the bulk of the exam score. It is so important that a portion of the students in class grades are factored in."

"So that is why you chose the Kawarimi, because it is the hardest one for your class?" Iruka asked considering the other subjects that weren't covered in the examination.

"Exactly," the bandana wearing teacher confirmed, "the purpose of the exam is to weed out those who are not capable of becoming active duty shinobi. I make the test difficult because if they aren't really ready for an exam then they aren't ready for mission work. It seems harsh, but it saves lives."

"Then why not have a taijutsu evaluation in the test?" Iruka asked scratching the back of his head. "I always stress to my students the importance of taijutsu, and I know you do too. Even in shinobi combat a fight will typically start and end with taijutsu."

"The Academy doesn't teach depth in the art of hand-to-hand combat. We only teach the kids foundational things, and leave their families and Jōnin Sensei the responsibility of teaching them the advanced stuff. We just don't have the time to give kids the individualized attention they need to learn taijutsu, but a Jōnin Sensei would. A clan would. So we just make sure they don't form bad habits," Mizuki answered.

"Yeah I guess you're right," Iruka relented as the chef returned with meals in hand.

"Here we are gentlemen," Teuchi said while setting a bowl of ramen in front of Iruka which instantly warmed him as the steam filled his nose with each breath drawn. He let the fragrant aroma of the broth consume his senses; it was a gift from heaven. Iruka would never admit it, but he loved ramen almost as much as Naruto did.

"Is this some sort of joke?" Mizuki asked indignantly.

"You asked me to surprise you Mizuki-san," Teuchi explained with a wicked grin. "Are you not surprised?"

Iruka watched as Mizuki examined the contents of what appeared to be a chirashizushi bowl and returned his gaze to the chef who delivered it. This checking, rechecking, and examining both the man and the meal continued for a minute as Iruka tried not to laugh. Clearly, Mizuki was not sure if he could believe that either the food or the bowl was real.

"I thought this was a ramen stand, but this is a bowl of scattered sushi," Mizuki finally said as confusion dripped off his words.

"It is, and you are right," the chef responded with his playful demeanor not changing in the slightest. "You are most observant shinobi-san, and should either of you require anything else just give a shout. I'll be in the back having some lunch of my own, but like I said if you just give me a holler I'll hear you."

Iruka snickered at Teuchi's mocking tone which won him a fierce look from Mizuki once the chef disappeared into his kitchen. Mizuki tested the contents of his bowl gingerly, chopsticks poking and prodding as if checking whether the food was really there. Giving in, he took a bite and his voiced hummed with pleasure. Iruka decided to indulge in his own meal while his friend was still figuring things out.

"Not bad. Not what I was expecting, but it's pretty good," Mizuki thought out loud. "Now was there anything else you wanted to know?"

Iruka chewed and swallowed the mouthful of noodles that he was immensely enjoying before replying "Yes actually. I was wondering who you thought would graduate as rookie of the year, dead last, and who has surprised you the most so far?"

"Well, isn't that a curious question coming from you Iruka," Mizuki taunted. "I thought you had told me a week ago that Academy rankings don't matter in the field, and they don't do anything but form tension between students. Have we changed our minds Iruka?"

"No, I was just wondering," Iruka answered with a roll of the eyes. "The only purpose the class ranks serve is to help balance out team formations. They really don't amount to much more than that."

"Still, they serve a purpose," Mizuki said. Clearly he was trying to rub it in. Since their days as students in the Academy Iruka's friend and colleague would often compete in a variety of ways. When they were first starting out down the road to ninja they competed through the Academy ranks. Iruka lost, and he still felt sore about his friend reminding him on occasion. "Anyway, from what I can tell Hyūga Neji has the number one spot all locked up. As far as kunoichi go that spot goes to that girl I was telling you about yesterday, Tenten."

"The sniper? The one who clipped off a couple strands of your hair with a kunai when you were going to score her as missing the bull's-eye by half a centimeter," Iruka goaded.

"She sneezed mid throw, and in the end I gave her credit. We had a long talk about that temper of hers and she agreed to never do anything like that again, but yes that is the girl." Mizuki defended his reasoning.

"What about dead last?" Iruka asked in between bites of ramen.

"That depends. If all the rules are followed then that spot will likely go to Kobayashi Ryū, a civilian raised kid. He doesn't look too promising, and I don't think he tries all that hard, but if he passes then he'll have the lowest rank. However, there is a chance some strings are going to be pulled and a kid who would otherwise flunk out this year will be allowed a placement. Rock Lee," Mizuki said sliding a file across the counter top, "is the other option for the dead last."

"So why would the rules and regulations make a difference?" Iruka asked while reading up on the student in question. He had no skill in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and limited ability in taijutsu. His academic marks seemed high enough, but the performance scores should have caused him to wash out of the program a long time ago. "What kind of strings can be pulled that would justify graduating this kid? He's got no chance out in the field, and would only get himself and his team killed."

"I agree, but Maito Gai seems to think otherwise," Mizuki casually answered, but Iruka was in shock. Maito Gai was one of the foremost jōnin in the village, and his word was as highly respected as his power. The man was eccentric and a bit crazy, but to use whatever influence he had to get a kid like this to graduate was ludicrous. "Apparently, Gai seems to think Lee would make an excellent apprentice, and has even gone so far to petition the Hokage to allow the boy's graduation. If Hokage-sama humors him then I'll graduate the boy no question, but that doesn't mean I won't make him take the test, and it certainly doesn't mean that I'll spare his feelings. If I have to graduate the kid, I'll let him know why he gets to when others more deserving get looked over."

"Don't be cruel Mizuki," Iruka admonished.

"Truth is cruel, and the kid will have to figure it out sooner or later. Who would you rather teach that lesson, me, or an enemy in battle?" Mizuki posed the question sharply, and it dug in to his mind quickly. Iruka didn't like it, but he couldn't deny it either.

Iruka knew the answer to his friend's question. His comrade may not always have a sense of tack, but he wasn't going to crush the kid's spirit either. An enemy would not be so forgiving. To know that you are weak is far different than believing a lie and learning how wrong you were with the tip of a blade. Mizuki's explanation, no matter how harsh, would be a mercy compared to what may await Rock Lee in the shadows.

"Do you think he'll make it out there?" Iruka wondered aloud.

"Who, Lee?" Mizuki paused in thought. "If Gai is able to mold him into a replica of himself, then yes Lee will do just fine."

"What makes you think so? He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and his taijustu is subpar. There has to be something, some redeeming quality that makes you think he'd succeed."

"Yeah, Lee has something about him. After teaching him for almost six years he has a fire, tenacity, and a drive. He's got a never-say-die attitude, and I kind of respect that side of him. If he keeps that and applies himself to Maito Gai, then he will do just fine out there," Iruka had to catch himself from gawking too long. It was the last thing he would have suspected his fellow teacher to say.

'_Interesting Mizuki, I can't remember you thinking that way about Naruto. Then again, Lee isn't much of a trouble maker either._' Iruka thought as finished his meal in silence. He really didn't want to broach the topic of his favorite rascal with Mizuki. There were several reasons that people disliked Naruto, and several reasons that they didn't want the boy to become a ninja in the first place. Some legitimate, most not, but all linked to one common factor.

"You're quiet over there," Mizuki said after finishing his food. "I know what you are thinking and I still don't think that it's right. The boy shouldn't be a ninja."

"Why not? The way you described Lee fits Naruto's personality perfectly. I know you don't like him, but he deserves a chance," Iruka quietly and calmly defended his student. Naruto wasn't always so driven in class. In fact, Naruto wasn't always in class at all. Recently, the boy had a major change in his attitudes toward school.

"Irrespective of what I think of the kid personally, to give a child like him full access to that kind of power is dangerous." Mizuki's daggered words pierced Iruka with a logical precision. He was right. The kind of power Naruto could wield was dangerous, and there was no denying it. "An idiot and a fool of his kind shouldn't be given power. To wield power with no knowledge of how to handle it properly is like throwing kunai blindfolded. You may hit something, you may miss, but you might just kill a friend in the process."

"Power is dangerous in anyone's hands. It doesn't matter if you know how to use it or not, it can still be misused," he shot back quickly.

"I disagree," Mizuki stated to no surprise. "Look at Hokage-sama, the man knows a thousand jutsu and is feared the world over as Shinobi no Kami. He has acquired power over his very long career, and he has the intelligence to use it properly. Naruto does not have that intelligence, and it is unwise for us to continue teaching him. He is a troublemaker and a ruffian, but if he continues to learn the shinobi arts he will kill us all."

"You are wrong!" Iruka emphatically declared as calmly as he could. Mizuki did not appreciate emotional outbursts, and winning him over would not be accomplished with one. As much as he wanted to hotly contest the fear of Naruto being a harbinger of doom, Iruka shifted gears. "Intelligence alone does not mean you will use power properly. It takes wisdom to know what to do with the power you have. I think Orochimaru's treachery is evidence enough of that. Naruto may not be as smart as you think he should be, but he has a kind heart."

"A kind heart?" Mizuki asked incredulously. "You think _that_ boy has a kind heart? You know what evil lurks inside him, and there is nothing kind about it. Besides, just look at his pranks which you call harmless. Every single one is a reaction to someone mistreating him. What if pranks become ninjutsu? It won't be fun and games with that brat then."

Iruka sighed. It was irrational to fear the boy, but entirely rational to fear the beast within. There was no winning here with Mizuki. For whatever reason that man held an unnatural obsession with Naruto's skills. It was fear that his skills were growing unchecked, and disapproval that the attitudes of the blond boy remained largely unchallenged. "Mizuki was I any different? When I was his age I played pranks to get back at people who aggravated me, but that ended with time. Naruto is just a kid, and as he gets older his immaturity will fade away. I don't know if you have noticed, but he has calmed down quite a bit. I think Yurushi has played a large roll on Naruto's change of behavior,"

"Uzumaki Yurushi got Naruto to sit still and behave?" Mizuki questioned with sarcasm and disbelief.

"I think he did, and Naruto has really improved in class. He might graduate a step or two above the dead last position if things keep going the way that they are," Iruka smiled as he delivered the news to his skeptical comrade. Naruto may never be a champion of scholastic thought, but he was far from stupid. It took a while for him to figure it out, but time had shown Iruka that the blond wild child had a great talent in thinking on his feet and being wickedly creative; a pair of things that could be quite dangerous in the shinobi world.

"Well, I'll be damned. To think the little brat would turn around like that. I wonder what Yurushi did to cause a sudden change?" Mizuki mused.

"It wasn't that sudden. Just a shift in attitudes and focus over the past year, but I do think Yurushi is largely responsible. Naruto has been starving for attention for his entire life, and now he has someone who will give him the attention he so desperately needs. More so, Yurushi doesn't treat Naruto with scorn or fear, and I think that has really made the difference."

"I'm still not convinced that Naruto should be allowed to become a ninja. The kid has yet to show that he can handle all of that responsibility in an appropriate way, but if he proves that he is capable of being half the ninja Yurushi will be, then _maybe_ I can give Naruto a chance. That doesn't mean I am going to like the kid though," Mizuki relented an inch, but Iruka was going to try and take a mile if he could get away with it. Mizuki never backed down, never yielded in his beliefs.

"So what is Yurushi like in class? I've met the kid once or twice before, and he seems to have a good head on his shoulders," Iruka pondered what Naruto's elder cousin was capable of to give Mizuki pause to reconsider.

"The kid is a genius of Neji or Sasuke's caliber. I don't know if it is in his blood or if it has to do with how he was raised, but Yurushi was born to be a powerful ninja. No question about it, he will be famous in the shinobi world," Mizuki answered as he began to pack away a few files.

Iruka shuddered at that thought. To be famous in the shinobi world meant that you gained respect and had a large target painted on your head. People may know and fear you, but others will try to kill you just for the sake of gaining a reputation. Popularity was not desired for a ninja, and only the foolhardy welcomed it gladly.

"Hey Iruka, you mind if I ask you a personal question?" Mizuki's words breaking the brief silence that settled over the two.

"I don't mind, ask away," Iruka responded with slight curiosity. Mizuki always had a firm grasp on his life, and always held strong, well established opinions about most things. He couldn't help but wonder if the idea of a Naruto, who was different than before, had gotten his friend to think about his other beliefs.

"Why did you become an instructor at the Academy?" Iruka went wide eyed for a brief second.

"Well," Iruka thought. The question was not entirely expected and he had to consider the reason behind his decision so many years ago. "I guess I just wanted to inspire kids the way Hokage-sama had inspired me when I first became a ninja. His strength and wisdom really made me want to have a hand in getting the next generation ready to carry mantle of Konoha. Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering," Iruka watched as his partner stared blankly into his empty bowl. "You know, I never really wanted to work at the Academy. I always imagined that I would be a jōnin by now, and maybe even join ANBU one day. I never did."

"Hell," Mizuki chuckled dryly, "I never even tried to enroll for the Jōnin Exams."

"Why not?" Iruka asked plainly. His friend must be going through some identity crisis, because he had never seen Mizuki acting so lost.

"I don't know really. I guess my parents had a lot to do with it," Mizuki answered. "They always urged me to become an instructor at the Academy. It was like they never wanted me to do anything else. Almost like they never thought I _could_ be anything else."

Iruka processed the idea. His own parents had always encouraged him to follow his dreams and desires. If he wanted to do something, then Iruka's parents had told him to give it his best. They died years ago defending the village from one of the greatest threats it ever faced, but even in those last moments Iruka knew that his parents believed in him. He couldn't relate to Mizuki, and wondered what he could say to help his friend find an anchor for his life.

"About a year ago I petitioned the Hokage to look at my projected potential assessment," the man stated blankly.

"Oh, and what did it say?" Iruka asked with eyebrow arched. Every ninja who has obtained the rank of chūnin was evaluated closely by the Hokage through mission profiles and annual skill reviews. These evaluations are analyzed and it is determined where that particular individual could possibly be in the near future. This was largely done for ninja on permanent assignment in the village, so they could have an idea where they might be if they got back into the field.

"It said that I have the potential to be a jōnin level ninja," Mizuki said with a cold factuality. The man sounded as if he had been resigned to the fact that he would never achieve the rank.

"So go and take a year off of teaching. Get back into the field, sharpen your skills, train like crazy, and then go ace the exams. I won't hold it against you," Iruka urged.

"I don't know if its fear or something else, but seriously considering doing anything other than teaching makes something inside of me snap. It's almost like some small part of me doesn't want to leave the Academy, but the rest of me wants nothing more to do with any of it," Mizuki was becoming a bit more of a mystery, and Iruka wasn't too sure how to handle these revelations.

"I want to be stronger Iruka," Mizuki said returning his gaze to Iruka, and the teachers gauged each other's reactions. "I should be stronger. I need to be stronger."

"You have no satisfaction with the way things are now?" Iruka asked. The craving of power is enticing, and many who chase after such things rarely stop with any one particular benchmark.

"I'm not like you Iruka, I am not content teaching the next generation," Mizuki said as he began gathering all of the materials he had brought. "Especially now that I know I am capable of more. Frankly, I don't know how you can find fulfillment with it."

Iruka shrugged, but was at a total loss. What more could he say. He had always enjoyed his role in the Academy and it always felt very rewarding to him. Sure, it was a bit of a blow to the pride watching students whom you helped teach grow into a more powerful shinobi than you were. Sure, it stung seeing children you watched growing up achieve a level of skill you did not possess. That was the sacrifice that he had made. He had done it willingly, and would do it again.

"I don't know what to tell you Mizuki," Iruka sighed and scratched the back of his head. "I always kind of felt proud of the fact that I can make a difference with my job. Through teaching I can leave my own legacy, and pass on the Hi no Ishi that was handed to me."

"That's all well and good, and I appreciate the idealism of the Will of Fire," Mizuki was gearing up again, and Iruka knew the old arguments that were coming, "but we both know the world doesn't work that way. People are driven by power. Be it power they use, or power used against them. Power is what motivates us."

"So you want the power to be a jōnin instead what you have been limited to?" Iruka asked, knowing the answer already.

"Exactly," Mizuki declared. Previous versions of this debate left Iruka without a leg to stand on in his friend's eyes. Feelings and ideals always sounded pretty to Mizuki, but he couldn't grasp them. It was water seeping through cupped hands, an intangible aspect of human existence. This time, things were different. Iruka would make sure things were different.

"So when you become a jōnin, what will you do with all of that power?" Iruka followed up with his friend.

"I'm going to use it Iruka," his friend elaborated plainly. "I will destroy my enemies and crush those who stand against me, all by the order of Hokage-sama of course."

"Of course, of course," Iruka mocked playfully. Try as he may to act like he was ignoring it, Mizuki was walking down a dangerous road. "So what happens when you are ordered to limit yourself, or you find you cannot climb to the height you are looking for?"

"I, well," Mizuki was falling over his words and seemed to be finding no adequate answer, which was exactly where Iruka wanted him. "I don't know."

"Let me ask you this," Iruka had shifted into full blown lecture mode. He was going to give his friend the same treatment he gave Naruto every time he needed the child to learn an important lesson. "What separates Hokage-sama from someone like Orochimaru or Uchiha Itachi?"

"Loyalty," Mizuki answered quickly. "Hokage-sama will live and die for the village while the other two are treasonous criminals."

"I think that is part of it, but I believe there is more to it than that," Iruka began extrapolating the issue before his cohort could latch onto the word _believe_, and reject the argument. "Consider the power that each of them possesses and answer me this; to what ends do they use all of that power?"

"Well," Mizuki paused in thought. "Orochimaru betrayed the village to chase after greater power. He uses his strength for whatever he wants I guess. Uchiha Itachi was one of the most powerful ANBU Captains in more recent history, and he used that power to commit the wholesale slaughter of his clan. Why he did that, nobody knows, and what he is doing now only Kami-sama could tell. Hokage-sama uses his power to defend the village, just like any Kage does."

"If Hokage-sama were not the Hokage, but just Sarutobi Hiruzen, do you think that would change how he used his power?" Iruka asked already knowing the answer.

"Knowing him, it wouldn't change a thing. He loves the village far too much," Mizuki stated and Iruka grinned wildly.

"That is the point," Iruka stood to leave. "Power is not an end in and of itself. Rather, it should be used to protect the things that matter most. Hokage-sama protects the village with his life because the village and its people are precious to him. My students are precious to me, and I will use all the strength I have, no matter how meager, to keep them safe. What is precious to you Mizuki? Becoming a great jōnin is an excellent goal. You should work toward it, and I hope you get there someday. But, unless you are fighting to protect something then I think you are missing the point. That's the lesson my parents taught me the day they died, and it's one that every ninja should learn."

Iruka called for the proprietor in order to pay for his meal, and was asked to wait while he finished with something. He eyed his friend who was clearly considering everything that had been said. Pinching the bridge of his nose at the how the _coolness_ of the moment the teacher had created was being lost with every moment he stood there waiting. He was hoping to leave Mizuki to stir with the thoughts, instead he stood waiting. It gave his friend a chance to rebut, something Iruka wanted to minimize. There wasn't any guarantee that he could duplicate a lecture like that.

Frustration at the wait rising, his fingers grazed over the scar that streaked across his face. He had learned a similar lesson about how the shinobi should use his skills, and he had learned it the hard way. Trying to show off, wasn't an advisable action in the field. The souvenir of shinobi life was something he never bothered trying to cover it up, and it served as his reminder.

"Does Naruto have someone or something precious to him?" Mizuki asked. "What is driving him to become a ninja?"

"A year ago I wouldn't be able to give you a good answer to that," Iruka smiled. "Naruto wanted to become a ninja so he wouldn't be ignored and so people would respect him. Now though, since Yurushi has been in his life, things seem to be different. Naruto has a family that cares for him, and he wants to protect it with everything he has."

"You're really proud of him aren't you?" Mizuki pondered out loud.

"Like he was my own brother," Iruka smiled warmly at the idea.

"Thanks for the help Iruka. I guess I have quite a bit to think about," Mizuki answered as Teuchi walked out from the back.

Iruka paid the chef for the meal and thanked him. Just before he returned to the busy street he placed a firm hand on Mizuki's shoulder "Sure thing Mizuki. After all, that's what friends are for."

* * *

Mizuki sat for a moment after Iruka left and smirked. His friend had pulled one over on him. Usually he won the debates because Iruka just didn't think in logic and cold hard facts. Iruka was far too empathetic and idealistic to effectively make the case he would argue. They rarely saw eye to eye on things, but Iruka was a friend. This proved it once again. Though he was hesitant to admit it, Iruka had made a good point.

"So can I get you something else Mizuki-san?" the chef asked breaking Mizuki from his thoughts.

"No Teuchi-san I need to be going," he answered as he paid the man for the food.

"Well, what did you think?" The chef asked eagerly motioning toward the empty dish in front of Mizuki.

"It was good, but I didn't know you could make sushi," Mizuki answered with honesty admitting his surprise at the food he had been given. He asked Teuchi to surprise him because ramen was his least favored food, but he did not expect anything other than ramen to be delivered. To receive his favorite meal caused a bit of a shock, and even more of one to find it was very well prepared.

"I sell ramen, but I can cook anything," Teuchi boasted.

"Well, I must thank you. Chirashizushi is my favorite dish and you prepared it better than a handful of places I frequent," he admitted. It was something that he might actually drop hints of to see if other proprietors would make other chefs a little less lazy in the kitchen.

"I aim to please Mizuki-san. The last time Iruka was here he mentioned that chirashizushi was your favorite. I always keep a variety of ingredients so Ayame and I can make ourselves a little something to eat without pulling from our own stock. When you said 'surprise me' I thought I'd give it a shot," Teuchi explained.

"Iruka told you?" Mizuki asked, feeling like he was missing some back story.

"Sure did," the elder chef inflated. "He often speaks of you, and is always talking about what you both did when you were younger."

"Really now?" Mizuki bantered back curious as to what Iruka would tell the old ramen chef about him.

"He thinks very highly of you Mizuki. He sees you as a dear friend, and maybe something of a brother that he never had," Teuchi declared quietly as he began cleaning off the countertop.

"Yeah I know," Mizuki considered as he prepared to set off and finish all of the other things on his lengthy to-do list. "He's a good guy, probably my best friend."

"Have a good day," Teuchi said as Mizuki drew back the flap. "Come back again."

'_I think I just might do that,_' Mizuki thought as he took to the rooftops. 


	7. Without a Trace

**Chapter 7: Without a Trace**

"Fate loves the fearless." - James Russell Lowell

* * *

Eyes snapped open. He had heard something, or someone in the apartment. Groggily, Naruto sat up in bed. He was none too eager to check out the reason for his disturbed sleep, but thought that he might as well get a glass of water or something. Stretching a bit, the blond rose slowly and stumbled his way through the darkened hall. Bare feet shuffled across the worn hardwood floors as Naruto started to feel a bit more awake.

He could hear noise. A muffled, muttering sound coming from behind the closed door of his cousin's room, but that was nothing new. When Yurushi was working on something that he found particularly difficult he would sometimes start to talk to himself. Naruto figured that it was just for the sake of hearing his own thoughts, as if somehow hearing the words would help him work it all out. This was probably no different.

After a concerted effort, the blond stumbled into his kitchen. Without the light he opened the cabinet door, grabbed a glass, and filled the clear cup with water. The cool liquid passed his lips and satisfied that dry feeling in his mouth. The glass now empty Naruto set it in the sink to wash later. It was getting full, and it was his turn to do the dishes. He hated doing the dishes, but Yurushi wouldn't be happy if he felt he had to wash them instead. It didn't help that his cousin frowned upon the use of Kage Bunshin for doing chores.

Much like the glass of water, the year hadn't lasted long either. It was almost over now. The graduation exam was coming up, and he wanted to take it again. The blond felt confident that he could pass this year, and he thought it would be awesome if he was on Yurushi's team. The only issue was that his grades were still too low. If he did graduate, he'd still be the dead last. The only way he wouldn't be the lowest score was if the graduating class was full of real losers. There was no way he wasn't going to get Jiraiya-sensei to teach him a new jutsu.

With a small sigh, Naruto resigned himself to another year of the Academy. It wasn't that bad, but he wanted to be a ninja already. Iruka-sensei was cool, but class was so boring. '_Oh well,_' the blue eyed goofball thought. '_At least Yurushi was right. Some of those books do have some helpful things to know._'

Walking back toward his room, the blond was going to let sleep reclaim him. The muffled noises coming from his cousin's room had grown a bit louder, and they sounded more frantic. He hesitated, and looked long and hard at the doorknob. Slowly, his hand reached for the handle and twisted to give entrance. The door creaked slightly as he nudged it open. He was just checking to see if everything was okay.

Sticking only his head into the room, Naruto noticed it was far too dark. When Yurushi was up late, studying, reading, or doing whatever boring stuff he liked to do, the redhead worked at his desk by candlelight. He could hear the sounds of gentle sobbing, and in his experience that wasn't a good thing. Peering through the darkness, the blond noticed that the bed was a jumbled mess. The sheets were disturbed and twisted, but there was no body underneath them. Opening the door a bit further he found his cousin sitting on his knees in front of his desk, hands resting on his sword.

"I'm sorry Sensei," the words came though pained breath. "I didn't want to, but he made me."

"Made you do what?" Naruto asked. There was no recognition from Yurushi. No movement, no response, no signs that his presence had been noticed.

"I didn't want to," the redhead repeated. "I didn't want to."

Naruto tilted his head. It was odd. Tiptoeing closer, the blond crouched to be at eye level with Yurushi. There still wasn't anything that even resembled his cousin even being conscious. '_Was he sleepwalking?_' He wondered as he waved his hand back and forth in front of his cousin's face.

"He made me do it. I didn't want to, but he made me," the redhead said again. Half lidded eyes made the rascally blond think that maybe Yurushi was dreaming.

"Hey! Wake up!" Naruto called with no success.

"Hey Yurushi! Wake up!" The blond repeated shaking his cousin by the shoulder.

The redhead sprung to life. The speed with which he drew the katana was like lightning. He was pushed onto his back and found the heated glare of his cousin bearing down on him and the tip of metal was hovering over his face. He froze, absolutely still, and far too frightened to move.

Recognition flooded Yurushi's eyes as he fell back, and dropped his sword. Freed from his prone position, but still rattled by the ordeal, Naruto didn't move. He wasn't too sure what to do, but he knew that he was going to be making any sudden movements. Gradually, he tilted his head up. Yurushi sat, pressed up against his desk with his head buried in his hands. Not feeling eager to sit up, the blond simply lay there as Yurushi did whatever he was doing to pull himself together.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Yurushi's voice broke the awkward silence. "I'm so sorry."

"What, uh," Naruto fumbled around for the right words, but couldn't find them. "What the hell was that?"

"A nightmare," his cousin answered as he stood. The sullen look on his face made Naruto think about just leaving things at that.

"A nightmare about what?" Having a sword pointed at your face for no real reason had a way of making the issue seem a lot less private. Yurushi frowned as he helped hoist the blond to his feet.

"Something I'd rather forget," Yurushi replied quietly as he snaked between the sheets of his bed.

* * *

The ground was hard. Dust caked on his forearm and brow courtesy of the sheen of sweat that had developed. Breathing was becoming more ragged over time, and his muscles ached with each movement. His body felt as though he were swimming up river with limited success. Today was not a good day to push his training to the limits. Yurushi worked his way to his knees as he tried to regain an even breath. The third level of his training seal was an exponential leap forward. After three months it could still feel like he had just activated it. He was honestly considering returning to the second level, until he had more time to get adjusted.

"Your speed has greatly diminished," a voice called out to him from above. "I am beginning to wonder if you were cheating when we first fought."

"Not cheating," Yurushi responded drawing in as much air as he could afford, "just letting go of a few limits. This is training. You already have an idea of what I can do, so there is no need to take those limits away right now. Besides, it's all a part of my training regimen."

"Your form has improved, but your skill in executing strikes is still below par. You should be more advanced in taijutsu by now," the genius scolded

Yurushi rose to his feet, albeit slowly, and looked his opponent in the eye. "I told you before Neji, I am a swordsman. That is what I choose to train in. I only practice taijutsu so I don't die if I'm ever caught without my sword."

"I wonder if you would succeed in that endeavor," Neji jabbed, earning a frown from the redhead. "From what I have seen I would recommend that you never be disarmed. I don't believe that you would last a second otherwise."

Neji slipped into another generic taijutsu stance. Yurushi had sparred with the Hyūga prodigy only a handful of times outside of school. The only thing that really ever changed was the setting. It was months before Yurushi was allowed entrance into the grand halls of the Hyūga estate. The place was calm and serene, as if it had been taken from a painting and placed upon the earth. It was a place of order, harshly procured and staunchly defended. The rules were everything here, and every aspect of life in these walls had rules. The rules between their spars had remained much the same as at the Academy. He could not use his sword, and his opponent could not use the clan's techniques. Also, their matches would always be personally supervised by the head of the clan.

Yurushi considered the man. The Hyūga leader was unnerving to say the least. He was always watching, studying, and judging both combatants. His judgments were kept to himself, or at least until after Yurushi had left because the crimson haired boy never heard a single word pass the man's lips. In fact, he couldn't recall the man moving from the spot from which he had elected to watch the match. The head of the clan was there when he arrived and there when he left. He was a statue. In silent power he ruled all within his kingdom, and any movement was to be feared.

"I have been trained how to wield a sword since I was four years of age. Do you really think I haven't learned how to keep from being disarmed?" Yurushi asked with his focus returning to Neji.

"Not from a Hyūga you haven't," Neji said as he turned toward the clan head and bowed deeply. The leader nodded swiftly as if answering a silent question. Neji bowed again before facing Yurushi once more. "Do you have a bokken?"

"I don't have much use for training swords anymore, but yes I do have one," Yurushi answered as he moved to withdraw the sealing scroll which contained the wooden blade from his pack. Taking it in hand he was glad that it was lighter than his actual weapon. Moving would be easier, but not by much.

"The rules are the same as ever, but now you have been permitted to wield a sword and I have been permitted to show you the true power of the Hyūga," Neji said. Yurushi surveyed with anticipation as Neji's stance changed. There was a slight bend at the knees, left hand at waist level with the palm facing down, the right arm jutting toward Yurushi with the palm facing him, and the veins around his eyes bulging as the pupil-less orbs pulsed with power.

"This should be fun," Yurushi said as he secured the wooden katana within his obi. He did not have a scabbard for the practice sword, but the motions were all the same. He set his feet wide with his right foot leading toward Neji, ready to spring to action. Right hand gripped the hilt while the left loosely held the sword through his obi. Eyes focused on every move his opponent made.

As if some silent bell had rung they rushed toward each other with impressive speed. Yurushi was far too slow to make the first strike; something he would have greatly preferred. He sidestepped Neji's initial offering and backpedaled away from any potential follow ups. The gained distance was short lived as Neji pressed the foreseen advantage. Yurushi ducked and weaved through the flurry of attacks. Yurushi wheeled to the left to dodge another strike, but this time he found an opening. There was a seamless transition from drawing the blade to attack. A strike at the midsection that would warrant an ending to the round due to the simple fact that had the blade been real Neji would be in danger of losing his life. Just before the wooden edge struck home, Neji twisted out of the way.

Yurushi reacted quickly with several more slashes of the bokken, all of which Neji gracefully avoided. Though frustrating, he appreciated his rival's attitude toward the change in their spar. Yurushi was dodging Neji because he knew nothing about the Hyūga clan style, but Neji was dodging him because there was no benefit to trying to block a fake sword when blocking a real one could result in the loss of a limb. Yurushi shunted Neji's first attempted counter with the flat of his wooded blade and shoved against the boy's forearm. It threw the young man off balance enough for Yurushi to capitalize. Bringing the sword to bear against a blindsided opponent with an overhead strike did less than Yurushi had hoped. Once again Neji had evaded even though he had been caught flat footed.

The two placed some distance between each other, and Yurushi was beginning to feel drained. Today was not a good day to be challenging his rival, but if he never trained with the third level of his seal active he would not adjust to it. Never before had the young Hyūga been so unpredictable in his movements. Circling around one another, Yurushi caught the hard stare from the pale eyes of his opponent. Suddenly, it all made sense.

"So," Yurushi thought out loud. "This is the power of the Byakugan; the gift of sight beyond sight."

"To learn so much about my eyes from only two brief encounters," Neji marveled dully with a slightly ragged breath. "This is why you are a worthy adversary."

"I had hoped it would have been for either my swordsmanship or roguish good looks," Yurushi smirked. Neji never reacted to his humor, and likely would never react in front of the clan head, but Yurushi suspected that his friend appreciated his witty banter.

"You're ego grows beyond your current station. It's time I show you where you truly stand in the order of things," Neji answered curtly.

Yurushi charged forward, blade down at his side ready to strike. Bringing the sword up in a diagonal strike was the most natural course of action, and Neji would be able to easily dodge by stepping to the left. The feint seemed to work as the attack was broadcasted and Neji began to step into the dodge. The single twist of the wrist brought the blade straight up rather than its expected trajectory. His opponent was moving directly into the strike, and Neji appeared utterly shocked. It was an image that Yurushi did not ever want to forget. Yet the difference in their speed, however slight, was enough for Neji to correct his footing.

The gambit left Yurushi open as Neji maneuvered himself behind the young samurai training to become a ninja. A swift kick behind a knee dropped the crimson swordsman to the ground on said knee. A stabbing pain erupted in the shoulder of his sword arm, followed by four more needle-like jabs up and down his right arm, the last of which resulted in him dropping his weapon. Finally, an open palm strike to the center of the back sent Yurushi flying forward a short distance before crashing into the hard ground.

"Have you learned your place?" Neji asked coolly. "Or do you need another lesson?"

Yurushi chuckled lightly at his opponents taunt as he found himself face down in the dirt, again. It was the ninth time today. At least his rival seemed to be getting the hang of goading an opponent with a dry joke or two. "I would love to oblige your offer with a lesson of my own," the Uzumaki replied as he worked his way into a seated position, "but it seems I have lost all feeling in my right arm. I can wield my bokken effectively in a single hand, and I can wield it my offhand, but I wouldn't stand any chance at all."

Like it or not this training session was over. Both combatants bowed toward each other out of respect, and turned to bow to the clan head in respect and gratitude. Yurushi rose to reclaim his things while his right arm hung uselessly at his side. 'Each attack was laced with chakra, and was aimed at a precise spot in order to disable the use of my arm. The last attack didn't seem to be a strike from the Hyūga style, but it could have been a standard finishing move. This is why the Hyūga clan is revered as the masters of taijutsu. Their eyes allow them to see what is not in their line of sight, and their style of fighting disables the opponent entirely. No wonder why Lee is dead set on beating Neji,' Yurushi groaned at the soreness across his body while analyzing what he learned from the spar. While not concerned about having to fight against a Hyūga with life or death steaks, it never hurt to have a future plan to counter their skill set should the situation arise.

"Hyūga-sama," Neji's voice rang out as Yurushi sealed his practice sword inside of the scroll he stored it in. "By your leave I will escort Uzumaki-san home."

The request must have been confirmed because as Yurushi threw his pack over his shoulder, and held onto it with his only working hand, his host was standing in wait. Wordlessly, they walked through the scenic gardens, meticulously designed halls, and the grand foyers of the Hyūga estate. The decor was something of humble and practical appearances, but every piece of furniture, every urn, every rug, and even the floors were masterfully crafted. The main gate came into view as they walked. The wood used was thick and rich with a dark color. The large symbol of the clan adorned the smooth surface, and yet it bore no gemstones or ornate metals. Perhaps, not showy or overtly conceited about it, the Hyūga clan was proud of what they were. With a nod of the head, the guards opened the gate and allowed the two rivals safe passage.

"You should regain the use of your arm in a few hours," Neji stated as they stepped out into the street. Traffic was surprisingly light, but with the dinner hour approaching most people were likely to be home already.

"Well that's good to know," Yurushi responded trying to roll his right shoulder with no success. "It wouldn't be any benefit for me if I couldn't use my sword arm when taking the graduation exam."

"You are going to graduate tomorrow aren't you?" Neji said, likely with an unseen grin.

"But of course," Yurushi responded as they navigated the busy roads of Konoha's mercantile district. "Did you expect anything less?"

"Your fate is unclear to me," Neji answered without taking his eyes from the road before him, "in certain regards at least."

"My fate? Are you _still_ holding to that outlook on life?" Yurushi felt agitated. Neji was more than entitled to believe as he wished, but his views of fate and destiny were quite irritating. Trying to have a discussion about other possible ways the world worked were less than productive. He simply ignored and denied anything that didn't fall in line with his worldview.

"Our fate is set from the moment of our birth. Our job is to discover our fates, and then follow through with them," the genius responded blandly.

"Is that so?" Yurushi rolled his eyes at the notion of one's fate being set in stone. No one but himself could determine what _he_ could do in life, much less the cosmic forces of fate. There may be some greater purpose, some plan or destiny that he was born to accomplish, but _none_ would force him to abide by it.

"It is, and you would be foolish to think otherwise," Neji answered the unspoken objection. "By being born into the Hyūga clan, fate decreed that I would become a ninja. My eyes are the most powerful my clan has seen in generations, and this was how fate determined that I would be a great shinobi. Yet, I was born into a lowly branch family of the clan. Fate had allowed me to achieve greatness, but my life and death will be controlled by the will of the main branch of the Hyūga clan. This was my fate from the moment of my birth, and nothing can change it," the proud branch member explained with no real enthusiasm.

Yurushi had known about the division of his friend's family, and the method to mark that division. The use of the juinjutsu is always controversial, but such is the nature of all cursed sealing techniques. The Hyūga juinjutsu was both elegant and effective. Neji had been willing to show the sealing tag placed upon his forehead once before, and Yurushi was amazed by its design. It protected the Byakugan from those who would take it both while Neji was alive or after his death. In doing so, it ensured that another ninja would not be able to steal the secrets of the Hyūga clan's birthright or techniques. However, the other aspects of the seal were a big mystery to Yurushi. This was not because he did not know what it was designed to do, but he was unable to tell if it was designed to be that way or if it was a careless flaw in the design.

The mystery was a function in the seal that gave the availability to torture and kill its bearer. In Yurushi's mind it had to have been severe oversight in the overall design. It was a horrid notion to think it was purposeful. Nevertheless, that made its use a taboo topic. Even among the village, where clan law and custom is respected and fiercely defended, the use of the Hyūga juinjutsu simply was not broached in conversation. Clearly, no one, not even the main branch, liked the use of the seal. Still, it was there, and likely would never go away.

"What then has fate decreed from my birth Neji?" Yurushi asked. Neji, for as much as he was able to freely dispense the value and worth of others, was never able to give a solid answer to this question. For the young Uzumaki, it was a long running private joke.

"You are vexing to me. On one hand you are like myself, a genius and truly skilled. On the other hand you are related to a hopeless fool, and were born into an obscure clan whose relevance has faded from time. I cannot clearly say what your fate will be, but I would imagine that it will mirror our time in the Academy. You will likely become a splendid shinobi, but will always be second best." Neji answered with his ever present lack of fervor as the pair worked through the last of the late afternoon crowds.

"The Uzumaki clan is not obscure, and their relevance is still present in this village," Yurushi replied trying to keep his growing anger in check. "The crest of my clan is emblazoned on the backs of everyone who wears a flak jacket in this village."

"And yet, no Uzumaki is to be found in the walls of Konoha," Neji answered sparing his sparring partner a brief glance, "yourself and your cousin being the exception to that."

"Still, the Uzumaki clan is not obscure. At the height of our power we established our own hidden village. Our fūinjutsu was feared throughout the world, and we are well known for our long lifespan," Yurushi spoke with pride. His mother was targeted because of her heritage and spent her life defending his. Yurushi would not sit by idly while someone besmirched her name.

"And yet, the clan and their village is no more," Neji struck back.

"But the name is still feared. That much has not changed," the boy's irritation was burning beneath the surface, but he kept his cool in the face of his friends pointed words. It was hard to take, but even Yurushi knew that there was truth to what had been said.

"You cannot fear what you do not know and I have never heard of the Uzumaki clan beyond yourself and your cousin," and though Neji's response didn't sit well Yurushi, he could not ignore the facts that were right before him. His big issue was a simple one. The Uzumaki were not spoken of within Konohagakure, and even in the Academy it was as if the clan had never existed.

"Well, that doesn't mean that my fate is somehow tied into the perceived obscurity of my clan," Yurushi said calming himself down as his home was approaching on the horizon.

"No," Neji said thoughtfully. "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps your clan's past reveals your fate better than anything else. Perhaps, your fate is to achieve greatness and then be struck down by those who fear your power."

"Well," Yurushi was less enthused by this shift in Neji's understanding, but he could not force the young Hyūga to change his views without beating him at his own game, "what would you say Naruto's fate is?"

"Naruto is hopeless and has no business trying to be a shinobi," Neji answered with no illusions to hide his disdain. "His fate is one of failure."

"I can't wait to see the look on your face then," Yurushi said with a smirk. Sure, he was insulted for Naruto, but his cousin seemed to revel in people's doubts, so he took Neji's remarks in stride. "When Naruto becomes Hokage, then where will your views of fate stand?"

"The day Naruto becomes Hokage is the day I am Konoha's top kunoichi," Neji scoffed, his disbelieve more than apparent.

"Then perhaps you should get fitted for a new wardrobe," Yurushi's anger melted into laughter at the thought of a female version of Neji wearing the same contemptuous scowl. "A sky blue dress would be perfect for you. It would make your eyes look like clouds."

"You sound far too certain of Naruto meeting his goals," Neji grunted with well restrained anger caused by the joke made at his expense. "Naruto will never become Hokage. Those who reach that office do so because they have a connection to the previous Hokage."

"Is that so?" Yurushi wondered aloud. Could that be true? Could the system be rigged against those who did not have the right connections? Possibly, but it wouldn't make much sense if the strongest ninja in the village is overlooked for the job simply because he didn't know his predecessors.

"Think about it," Neji responded. They slowed their pace as they inched closer to the Uzumaki apartment building. "The Shodai Hokage founded the village so his appointment to the position was obvious. The Nidaime Hokage was the younger brother to the Shodai. The Sandaime Hokage was a student of the first two. The Yondaime Hokage was a student of Jiraiya of the Sannin who was himself a student of the Sandaime. The Godaime Hokage will likely follow this chain of succession with some connection as well. How then is Naruto connected to the previous Hokage? A connection to just one of them would allow me to believe in the possibility, but even that does not change his lack of skill."

Yurushi smirked, but withheld his knowledge. Jiraya's tutelage had begun to form the same chain of succession that gave the Yondaime his start. Naruto's connection to the Hokage was already being secured, and time would likely deepen that connection. If he could uncover the truth of the Uzumaki clan, and their influence on Konoha then he could possibly find more ways to connect Naruto to a position of leadership. His lack of skill would simply fix itself as he progressed through the Academy.

"Very well," Yurushi conceded halfheartedly. "I guess I'll yield to your views of fate this time, but sooner or later someone or something will force you out of your delusions. I only hope that you will be able to adapt when you finally see how wrong you are."

"Hmm," Neji didn't even pretend to be concerned. "Thank you for the spar, and I will see you tomorrow at the graduation exam."

"See you later Neji," Yurushi replied as he turned toward the entrance to the apartment complex.

Stepping in the door he was welcomed with the smells and sounds that accompanied the several families who lived in the aging building. Dinner was being prepared in many, and many more were having loud discussions about the events of the day. Climbing to the top of the stairs was a daunting challenge that he had not considered before planning the little exhibition at the Hyūga residence. His lungs burned with each breath, and his legs threatened to give way. After struggling to reach the summit he felt as though he could finally relax.

The moment was short lived. Down the hall he saw the Landlord banging on a door, and Yurushi couldn't help himself from sighing in complaint. The position was about right, but perhaps it was for someone else. There was no point in holding out hope for something else though. That man had a personal grudge with Naruto, and always took issue with petty little things. Today, there was likely a more significant purpose. That was of course, if Yurushi had guessed correctly at what his cousin had done.

"Naruto!" The portly man yelled confirming the redhead's suspicion. "I know you're in there! Open this door right now!"

"Sir," Yurushi said as he worked his way to the man, "Naruto is probably not home. I had told him that I would be training with a friend after class let out. He probably went to get dinner at Ramen Ichiraku."

"Yes, well," the man said as he straightened himself up. His hands were fumbling nervously which told Yurushi that older man still remembered the _personalized display_ of the his skill with a blade. "The rent is due and he told me this morning that it would be paid before fifteen hundred hours today."

Sighing, Yurushi reached into his pack. This wouldn't be an issue if the slob that stood before him didn't like sleeping in more than Naruto did. He could have paid the man before he left for class, but the landlord simply didn't like to rise in the morning hours. Withdrawing the money from his pack Yurushi counted it to be sure it was all there, and handed it over.

"Sorry for the delay," Yurushi said with a slight bow. "My cousin knew I would be paying the rent, but must have forgotten that I would be getting home late."

"Hmm, yes well," the man counted the money once, twice, and a third time before he was satisfied. "Everything seems to be in order here. All is forgiven." With a speed Yurushi had not imagined possible, the man left.

'_Apparently he remembers exactly what I can do with a sword,_' Yurushi thought as he entered his home.

Stepping through the threshold of the front door was hazardous, as a pillow nearly struck him in the face. Naruto was flipping over the cushions of the couch, and pieces of this and that were strewn across the floor. In the kitchen drawers were opened and their contents emptied. The refrigerator door was open.

"Sorry boss," yelled a familiar blond who stepped out of the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "There isn't anything in our room."

"Dammit!" The blond, who was presently digging through the couch, yelled out. His cousin or his doppelganger, whichever was the case, seemed panicked. "Where is it? Where is it? Where is it? Where is it?"

"Nothing in here boss!" Another voice rang out from the bathroom. Likely it belonged to another copy of his crazed relative.

"Naruto," Yurushi began to understand the situation he had walked into as he closed the door. "If you are looking for the rent money I had it."

"You had it?" His cousin questioned hysterically as he turned from his hunched position over the couch to lock eyes. "Did you give it to the landlord? He's been banging on the door ever since I got home, and he sounds pretty mad."

"Yes I had it," Yurushi declared with a little frustration. Naruto seemed quite prone to forget if his focus was not fixed on what was being said. "I told you I would have it, but I would pay after I got back from training with Neji."

"Oh," Naruto cried in relief and sudden recollection. The clones suddenly puffed out of existence with their mission scrubbed by the new information. "How did the training go?"

"I lost again," Yurushi admitted as he crossed the hallway and entered his room in order to lay down his weapons and carried belongings.

Much like Naruto's room, his was small but cozy. There was a bed and a rack upon which he reverently placed his swords. In the corner of the room across from the bed there was an old oak desk. Its surface was littered with scrolls and scribbled paper and brushes and ink and a half used candle. Long hours were poured over the surface of that desk, and the window directly in front of it gave a great view of the village. Against the wall opposite the bed there was a bookshelf filled to the brim with scrolls and tomes of all kinds. Some were written by his Sensei, and contained beautiful poetry. Others were written by his mother, and were lessons meant for his eyes only. A small few were gifted to him by Jiraiya-sensei. Those had gotten the most use of late. Next to the shelf, there was a closet full of clothes and other types of apparel more befitting a ninja-in-training.

"You'll get him sooner or later," Naruto shouted as Yurushi navigated his room. It was becoming more cluttered than he cared for. Cleaning it would soon be necessary. "Believe it!"

"I do _believe it_," Yurushi mocked as he gathered a change of clothes for after he had bathed. "What frustrates me isn't that I loose, but that Neji always says he has been fated to win."

"What?!" Naruto cried out, obviously he held the same objection. "That's stupid! Anybody can beat anybody else if they try hard enough."

"I agree in principle," Yurushi said as he set his change of clothes in the bathroom. If not by physical effort, then victory could be achieved by careful planning. "He even said that my fate was tied into the fate of our clan."

"Do you mean that your hidden village is going to be destroyed?" Naruto asked with a puzzled look on his face.

"Umm, no. I meant that he thinks I'll either be destroyed at the height of my power or I will fade into obscurity as time goes on," Yurushi corrected as his cousin's face scrunched up in thought. Yurushi had spoken to Naruto at length about the Uzumaki clan. He shared all that he knew of it and its untimely fate with his younger kin. The blond was thirsty to learn of his newfound family, but Yurushi did not have much to share. His mother gave him a survey history of the clan, but did not spend much time in her writings elaborating on the clan's storied past. Much of what she had written was in depth detail about the Uzumaki style of fūinjutsu.

"He has to be wrong. The whole clan couldn't have been destroyed," Naruto began as the thought was obviously still being developed in his bright blond head. "I mean, you and I were born into the clan so we had to have parents who were Uzumaki, right?"

Yurushi was about to correct his cousin's logic, but he stopped himself and thought about what was said. His research had turned up nothing for two reasons. The first was obviously that information surrounding the Uzumaki clan had to have been classified at some level, and the Public Archives would never hold such knowledge. The second had just been revealed by his whisker faced cousin's stroke of genius. His mother had not given birth to him within the village, and all the scrolls she had left him did not suggest deep ties to any village at all. Simply put, she was never here so there would be no information on Uzumaki Akane. Naruto, however, _was_ born in the village. Some record had to exist pointing toward his parentage. He had been approaching the mystery of his clan from the wrong angle. Naruto was the key.

"Yes," Yurushi said slowly as he formulated an idea. "I think you might be right."

Naruto beamed at the thought of being correct about something that Yurushi had been stressing over. His cousin wanted to help people, and was more than happy when he could. In this case it was more than just helping someone. It was a matter of family, and discovering who you were. Yurushi understood what he needed to do, but lacked the information to pull it off.

"Naruto, do you know where I can find information on something in the village?" The crimson haired Uzumaki asked.

"The Public Archives has all sorts of stuff," Naruto answered quickly.

"I've checked there already," Yurushi expounded. "I am looking for information that would be more, secretive than what the Public Archives has."

"Well," Naruto's gaze shifted back and forth as if he was looking for eavesdroppers before continuing. "The second basement of the Chūnin Command Center is nothing but the Secured Records Department. I don't know what kind of records are in there, but I'm sure that has way more information than the Public Archives."

"I'm going to shower off real quick, and then I'll need your help," synapses were firing in his brain. Thoughts were going a mile a minute and all of them were pointed toward one singular goal: uncover the secrets that lie within the Chūnin Command Center.

"So, you wanna break into the Chūnin Command Center's records vault?" Naruto asked with a mischievous grin. Yurushi quickly learned that cousin was a devious mind, and that cheshire grin did more to define it than anything else could.

"You aren't going to try and stop me are you?" Yurushi asked with a sarcastic tone. Naruto wouldn't stop him from something like this, and he was too much of a prankster to pass up getting involved.

"Go do whatever you need to, and while you're getting ready I'll grab my blue prints and my notes," Naruto said as he rushed off to gather all the plans he drafted and notes he complied that were stored in his room. The swordsman quirked an eyebrow at the thought of his cousin planning for a simple prank with such care for details, but was curious whether the plans were kept as a memento of his victory or just in case he felt like striking the same target twice.

Yurushi nearly laughed as he entered the bathroom. His cousin really was one of a kind. The kid was a total mess, and a complete spaz, but he was ready for action at a moment's notice. The blond really was something else, and Yurushi was mere moments away from discovering just what that something else entailed. Soon, the village would spill its secrets. Soon, that which was hidden in the shadows of Konoha would be brought to light.

The notion suddenly inspired a poem. The words flowed as water. The redhead rushed though his shower all the while editing and revising his latest work of art. Satisfied, he did his best to commit it to memory and he made a mad dash to return to his room. The window outside revealed that the night sky was beginning to take shape. The oranges and deep reds commanded the horizon still, but the crescent moon shone with perfect clarity. The last line changed on the spot as he reached for his brush and a blank spot on a scroll he used for taking notes. The characters formed as his hand moved fluidly from one line to the next.

_Wild and free_

_The shadows are growing thin_

_Moonlit revelation_

He spared a second glance at the moon before he stepped out of his room. Tonight would certainly reveal several truths that had been out of his grasp for far too long.


	8. Secrets Remain

**Chapter 8: Secrets Remain**

"Secrets are generally terrible. Beauty is not hidden – only ugliness and deformity." - L.M. Montgomery

* * *

A cool breeze licked against the back of his neck sending chills down his spine. The early autumn evening was perfect. It was neither too hot, nor too cold, and the moon was only at half strength so there was just enough light for sneaking around. With a catlike grace he moved swiftly across the rooftops with his follower in tow. It wasn't for another month and a half, and it wasn't a real prank, but tonight was like an early birthday present for Naruto. He and his cousin were going on their own covert ops mission together. It was true blue, certified, shinobi business. It was just like the movies, but way cooler.

Sure this was a mission that could land both he and his cousin into some serious trouble if they got busted, but they weren't real ninja just yet so the punishment couldn't be too severe. Could it? '_Nah! If we get caught I'll just tell the old man that I was going to prank some chūnin who worked in the Records Department by reorganizing the Archives. He'll buy that…I hope._'

Three blocks from their target Naruto signaled for a stop. It was about time for the regular ANBU patrol to be rolling through. They'd pass just a block away and any movement or chakra used would set them on alert. Yurushi moved over toward him. His naturally grey eyes took on a darker edge in the weak moonlight, and his dark red hair looked almost black. The metamorphosis was a bit startling, but pretty fitting for the mission at hand. The biggest change was the all of the black clothing his cousin now wore. The only part of his outfit that wasn't as black as the night sky were his navy shinobi sandals and the Uzumaki crest pinned onto his left shoulder. The trinket was symbolic of their home village, and very similar to the one he wore. Until Yurushi explained its relationship to the clan the blond had just thought it a cool addition to his outfit. At the time he wore it because the whirlpool pattern matched his name, but now it was a part of his name.

Peeking over the ledge of the building's roof he saw no movements in the suspected area and he hunkered back down. Yurushi crept up closer toward him and tried to stay out of sight.

"So," his cousin whispered, "what's our plan. You said you'd fill me in on the go."

"Yeah," Naruto whispered back "So, the changing of the guard at the Command Center takes place in twenty minutes. We have to time our entry with that. The entire sub-basement where the secure records are is pretty much on lock down."

"So how do we enter?" Yurushi looked puzzled.

"There is a duct system that runs through the entire building and there is an entry point that we can use on the roof. We should be small enough to crawl through, and it's out of the way enough for nobody to notice us up there. The alarm would be set off if we were to open the grate that covers the vents; however, it is disabled for maybe two to five minutes during a guard change so a couple of chūnin can check outside the building."

"Okay," Yurushi nodded in understanding. "Once we're in how much time do we have before we have to leave? I assume we will be in there until the next guard change."

"Yeah we'll be stuck in there until the next change, but they rotate stations every hour." Naruto answered with what was sure to be a wicked grin. His little dead fish stunt had made him something of legend among the chūnin at the Command Center. Apparently, old man Hokage hadn't told a soul about the fish shoved inside the couch. It took them twenty nine days to find it, and only then did they get an explanation as to how it got there. Apparently, that sneaky old man decided to use the whole prank as a way to test the readiness of his chūnin. The ninja were thoroughly embarrassed from what Naruto had heard. '_At least they learned their lesson and are guarding the place a lot better, but it still isn't perfect._'

"So we'll get in, look around for an hour, and get out?" Yurushi asked in summary

"Yup," Naruto confirmed.

"What about the guards that are going to be in the Records Department? How do we avoid them?" Yurushi asked. It was a valid concern, but not one to worry too much over.

"I don't know for sure how things are now, but the night guards used to be far more laid back. They usually holed up in an office inside the archives. We should be okay if we stay quiet. Besides, unless they reorganized everything the information we are looking for is on the far end opposite of where the guards would be."

Yurushi's silence did not belie his understanding. Naruto had signaled quiet as he heard a suspicious sound. He peered over the ledge to see the ANBU patrol speed by. It was time to move. They had seventeen minuets to get to their destination and sneak in. If they didn't make that time table they would be stuck in the ventilation system for an hour. Naruto didn't want to be out too late anyway. Yurushi had his graduation exam tomorrow, and he would need a good night sleep so he could do his best. Naruto remembered when he took the exam, and it was hard. Yurushi was twenty times smarter and better than he was, but it was still a challenge.

With the patrol passed, it was time to move. Naruto leapt forward to the adjacent rooftop and ran toward the next. The feeling of soaring through the air, it was freedom. As if the weight and pressures of life could not hold him down. He had learned that gravity could hold him down just fine, but for a brief moment he could skirt its authority a feel totally unbound. Moving toward his target was a moment of unbridled joy, and this time he had a friend and a brother to share it with.

The thought of being unburdened made him wonder if Yurushi felt the same way. They hadn't spoken about what had happened the other night, but clearly there was something bothering him. His cousin had made it very clear that he didn't want to talk about it, but Naruto knew that sooner or later something would clear the air. Stopping once again as the Chūnin Command Center was upon them, Naruto carefully viewed the surrounding streets and alleyways from the roof of a shop across from his destination.

"How much time?" his cousin asked in hushed tones.

"Eight minutes to get into the ducts," Naruto answered quietly as he looked for guards around the building.

The pitch black alleys and dimly lit streets of the village seemed to echo the true nature of his home. Konoha was a place of shadows and secrets. Darkness surrounded it, the village was bathed in it, and there were some places in the village where the light would never reach. During the day one could see that the village was a place of peace, hope, and happiness. At night, once the sun set, the village showed its true face. The mysteries that lie in wait in the shadows; where the truths that the village hid from the world lived. Naïve was a word that Naruto had heard as a description of himself. He didn't know what it meant, but if they thought he didn't know anything about how the world worked they were sorely mistaken. Just as the darkness of night consumed the village, Naruto was well aware of the evils that gnawed at the hearts of men. He himself was subject to several of these evils.

Turning to his cousin he thought. Yurushi had seen much similar circumstances as he had. Yurushi never knew his parents, and had been pretty close to alone all of his life. Sure, he had a Sensei who taught him in his early years, but he had also been abandoned to live in a place and with people he did not know. Yet over the past year they had grown into some sort of relationship that resembled brothers. Or at least it resembled what Naruto had always imagined a big brother to be like. They had their fights and disagreements, and they tried to give each other enough space to do their own thing and be their own person. At the end of the day though, they always had each other's back. No matter what happened, Yurushi was always watching out for him. As he gave the signal to move out Naruto understood that this brotherhood was the reason he was here.

Yurushi followed him in silence as they moved to the grated covering on the air duct. Three minutes before he could safely open it and then maybe five minutes to make it into the secured archives room. It would be close, but there should be plenty of time for them to pull it off. The blond heard a door open, and the murmuring of voices from the alley behind him. The guards were early in patrolling the building perimeter. If they opened and closed the door the alarm to the outside of the building had been turned off, but it would not stay that way for much longer.

Naruto worked the grate off its secured position as quietly as he could. He couldn't help but smile. The extra alarm systems had been a hasty addition after his little infiltration a year ago. The alarms were all divided and slaved to specific regions of the building. It was the chink in the armor that would allow himself and his cousin to successfully infiltrate the _secured_ records. The system wouldn't allow the guards free passage, nor could they shutdown individual alarms, but were forced to turn off the alarms of an entire region. So anytime the guards changed posts the chūnin operating at the security hub would turn off the alarms so they didn't have to listen to the blaring noise that a tripped alarm was sure to make.

Naruto squeezed into the air duct for the second time in his life, and Yurushi reattached the grate behind his own entry. They seemed to form an effortless sort of teamwork. His cousin, for the most part, knew what to do without being told. They picked up on one another's cues well, and it made Naruto feel pretty hopeful about joining his own team of shinobi in a year. He was never one to prank a person twice, and certainly never repeated a prank. This was not a prank though, and one misstep could mean real trouble. In general, it was great practice for when he finally received his hitai-ate and became a true shinobi. Hands and feet pressed against the metallic walls the pair descended, careful not to cause too much noise or misplace a hand. Falling to the bottom of this shaft would probably result in a very loud, very nasty injury.

The sub-basement that they were looking for was two stories below ground level, and each movement closer to their final destination caused Naruto to tense up a little bit. Nerves were starting to get the best of him. He had snuck into places he was not supposed to be before, but the nature of those break-ins was different. In the past he had gone to prank someone who had done him wrong, made fun of him, or deliberately ignored his existence. This time he was intentionally breaking the law, and only because Yurushi asked for his help.

'_This is for the right reasons though. Yurushi wants to find out what happened to our clan, so it isn't that bad right? I mean, we should know what happened to our family. Shouldn't we?_' Naruto questioned to himself. As he maneuvered himself into the right metallic tunnel he looked back to see if Yurushi had made it. There wasn't much time left, and if the guard had moved early outside, then they may be early now. There must have been a hint of guilt written on his face.

"It's alright. We have a right to know what happened to our clan," Yurushi whispered as he worked his way into the tributary vent. Naruto's redheaded cousin seemed so sure that they were doing the right thing. He was always so confident, so sure of himself. The blond couldn't help but wonder if there was ever a doubt in his cousin's mind. Was there ever a moment of hesitation? Did anything cause him to pause?

They wormed through the vent until the first possible entry came into Naruto's view. Peering through the half obscured covering Naruto could see two guards standing by the entrance to the archive's glass doors. They seemed to be waiting for something, but he couldn't tell. If they had already changed guard then he was stuck in the vents for another hour. '_That would suck! It would be so boring being trapped in here for a whole hour!_'

Thoughts of being cramped up in the tin can of a vent with absolutely nothing to do horrified Naruto for a brief moment. He wasn't about to give up on the idea of getting into the archive room, but he certainly didn't want to trigger the alarm. So he sat and watched.

"Shouldn't we get into position," Yurushi suggested underneath his breath, "you know, just in case?"

"I won't be able to see the guards from our entry point," Naruto lamented. This was the fatal flaw of his plan. Double timing it from point a to point b, a fourteen meter distance, while crawling through a confined metal tube, and trying to remain absolutely silent was a difficult proposition.

"I'll signal you when the door opens," Yurushi said. "Go ahead and get in position. There is no way both of us will be able to make it in that window of time."

Yurushi was probably right. It was far too short a time to accomplish all they needed to in order to breach the security and enter with perfect stealth. Naruto nodded and began to move toward the planned point of entry. With all of the vents in the sub-basements on ground level avoiding the security system would be pretty easy, but exiting could be tricky. It was more difficult to tell when they could leave the building safely since you couldn't see the guards exit. '_If only I could kawarimi myself through like a window, or a glass door, or something._'

"Naruto," Yurushi whispered harshly to him. "Hurry up, and go when you get there!"

'_Aww shit,_' Naruto groaned inwardly. '_They must have started the change already._'

Rushing while remaining quiet was difficult, but with the guards chatting for a little bit they may not hear his movements. '_Hopefully they won't hear anything_.' He approached his checkpoint. Prying the grate off was a simple maneuver, but speed and silence were once again the benchmarks of success. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he loosed the edges of the metal covering. Prying it off the hinges and moving through the tight opening without being greeted to the blaring screams of an alarm was a small victory. He quickly set about popping the grate back in place and hoped the guards hadn't begun to patrol; or worse already knew they had infiltrated.

Having finished his work with no deafening sounds alerting every chūnin in the building was another small victory. He turned around and saw at the end of the isle he was in that a light was fast approaching. The guards were checking the area and he was stuck with nowhere to go. He looked back at the grate. There was no way he could hide in the ducts without the risk of tripping the alarm. There was no way he could hide on one of the shelves that flanked him on either side. Each shelf was filled to the brim with all kinds of books and scrolls.

'_Well crap! Yurushi's not going to be very happy about this one._' Naruto mused to himself as he looked up toward the heavens. The sky was concealed at the moment so cursing, nor pleading with Kami-sama, would have the same effect. Then he noticed something. The bookshelves did not quite reach the ceiling panels. There was a small space that he may be able to fit in between. He climbed up the shelving hoping beyond all hope that his luck would hold.

He reached the top and it looked doable, so he squeezed his small frame into the space and froze. He turned his head and saw Yurushi in a very similar position signaling for him to hold and wait. Their hand signals had been developed over the past year. Apparently, Mizuki-sensei had assigned his to class pair off and develop a method of non-verbal communication. Yurushi had partnered with that ninjatō wielding kid named Kenshi, and then proceeded to teach the blond haired boy so he could practice at home. The language was not in depth, but it was diverse enough to use in field ops. At least it was in his mind. Naruto hadn't much experience with real ninja work, but the signals worked pretty well.

Minutes of tense waiting kept Naruto on edge as the pair of chūnin walked through the archives shining a light down each and every row of shelves. It was only a cursory inspection and luckily they had not seen either of the intruders. Still, Naruto was having a hard time. Cleaning, apparently, was not on the top of the maintenance list for this place as the thick layer of dust was tickling his nasal passages. All he needed to do was hold the sneeze until the guards walked into the main office in the archives. Holding back the inevitable was beyond his skill. He did his best to muffle the sneeze, though it didn't help much.

"What was that?" one guard said with caution. Naruto prayed to whomever could hear him that neither of the guards were a Hyūga. He couldn't remember much of what his cousin had told him the Byakugan could do, but he knew it enhanced vision.

Naruto quickly moved from the top of the shelf and waited on the rungs of his makeshift ladder for any sign of danger. The solid backs of the shelving meant that the pair of chūnin couldn't see him, but he also could not see them without peering over the top. Judging by the lights moving back and forth across the ceiling, poking his head over the top to get a look would not be a safe maneuver.

"Come on Iwana," another voice groaned. "There is nothing there."

"We should do another sweep just to be sure," the guard named Iwana responded.

"Are you serious?" the other voice complained. "There isn't anything here but dusty old tomes. There isn't even any information worth taking."

"All information is worth taking if the circumstances are right Tsuzumi," Iwana scolded. "It is our job to be thorough."

"Can't you just chill out Iwana? It's been a long and rough day, and I haven't had any real rest in thirty hours," Tsuzumi yawned. Naruto seriously hoped that this guy would win their little debate. Any extra scrutiny to the presence of intruders would put a tragic end to this little mission.

"If this were a field op then it wouldn't matter how little sleep you've had, so why should I _chill out_ when village security is just as important as any other mission?" Iwana questioned back. Naruto was sweating bullets. Too scared to move, blink, or even breathe; all he could do was wait for the storm to pass. Yurushi was in a worse position than he was being so much closer to the guards than he was.

"The only person who as ever even bothered sneaking into this building was Naruto, and he was just pulling a pretty nasty prank. I slept on that couch for a few hours, and I just thought something had died in the fridge," Tsuzumi's words made Naruto wish he could erupt in laughter. The guy slept on the smell of dead fish for hours, and the blond imagined that by the end of the chūnin's nap the smell of rotting fish had rubbed off.

"If that little brat was capable of sneaking in, then anyone could do it," Iwana shot back. "Besides, what if the next time isn't just a prank? What if the next time he tries to steal a jutsu or vital information? He's dangerous, and nothing he does should be taken lightly!"

"I agree," Tsuzumi said. Unseen by all, Naruto's face fell. These people, these ninja, saw him the same way the villagers did. They hated him. They thought he was dangerous. They believed he was a threat to the village. Never had there been any reason for this type of thinking, and Naruto had done his best to give them no cause to believe any of it. Still, these were widely held sentiments that were deeply ingrained into the hearts of the village. There were a precious few that actually treated him as though he were a person, and would acknowledge his existence without prompting, prodding, or some sort of prank. Even if they weren't very close, those people meant the world to Naruto and he would do anything for them.

"Well," Tsuzumi continued, "you can double check things if you like, but I'm going to radio into the security center and try to take things easy."

"There doesn't seem to be anything here," Iwana sighed. "I guess I'll check in as well. I brought some scrolls from home so I can do research on an idea I had for a new jutsu."

"Really?" Tsuzumi perked up with his question. "What kind of jutsu are you trying to create?"

The voices of the men became less and less audible and the loud clang of a metal door was heard closing. '_Finally, they went into the office. I thought they would never leave!_' Naruto thought as he hopped down from the shelf. He edged closer to the end of the isle and carefully peeked out to see no sign of the chūnin guards. Yurushi stepped out from the isle he was in and nodded at Naruto. The mission was on now.

Naruto ran quietly across the great room as he scanned for his destination. Caution was still at the forefront of every moment as the office in the front corner of the room had window panes that would allow the guards to peer out into the expanse that was the archives. With all of the lights off, it was quite dark. That would play to the benefit of the intruders, but Naruto was careful not to move too quickly for fear of bumping into something and causing an accident. Getting caught at this point would just be a waste of time.

The section of shelves that he found was marked by its place in an alphanumeric ordering system. The history, members, and some early service records of each clan and family that ever produced a ninja was likely to have been collected amongst the scrolls and tomes of the archives. Approaching the section where his clan name would be, he began to search thoroughly. The scrolls and books were very well organized, but there were so many. Naruto groaned inwardly just wishing he could utilize the Kage Bunshin technique to speed things along. '_I can't find anything. Kage Bunshin would help out, but if I use chakra those chūnin will catch me for sure._'

After searching for what seemed like hours he found one scroll that bore his family crest. It looked like that it was the only one, but it was huge. Pulling it out from its confines he nearly doubled over trying to heave the thing to a nearby table. '_Damn! That thing is half as big as I am, and it's so heavy. Yurushi is gonna owe me some ramen big time!_'

"Any luck?" his cousin's voice whispered.

"Yeah," Naruto said trying to catch his breath. "I found a giant scroll. This thing weighs a ton, so it has to have something useful in it."

"Good," Yurushi said as he placed a small collection of scrolls on the table next to Naruto's find. "I pulled a few census records from eighty to twenty years ago. If that is a clan history, then all we have to do is find the names of the last female members of the clan."

"Why are we looking for women's names?" Naruto was confused again. Yurushi liked to think things through in his head, but didn't always say everything that he had planned. It was annoying at times, but he had accepted that shy aspect of his cousin's character. "I thought we were trying to find out why they all just vanished."

"I doubt we'll find that sort of information here," Yurushi answered. "That would probably be very privileged information, heavily classified, and carefully guarded."

"Oh," Naruto breathed with half an understanding of what his cousin had said. "So what are we looking for then?"

"The last female Uzumaki to live in the village," Yurushi declared. "I believe that the last woman in our clan to live here was your mother, and if we can find out who she is we may just be able to figure out what happened to our family, or at least the ones that lived here."

"My mom? Really?" Naruto was stunned. He knew he had a mother and a father, but they were amorphous figures who just sort of existed for the sake of explaining how he came to be. Old man Hokage never told him their names, just that they were ninja who died defending the village soon after he was born. So now his cousin was offering to give a name to this person. He was going to have a face to this woman who brought him into the world. Now he could learn about who she was, and who he was. "You really want to figure out who my mom is?"

"Shhh," Yurushi warned. Naruto thought he was quiet, but perhaps his excitement had increased his volume a little higher than his cousin was comfortable with. "Yes, I think if we can find out what happened to her then we can find a trail to follow, and that trail should lead us back to whatever caused the destruction of our clan."

Naruto understood the mission at hand now and grabbed one of the scrolls that Yurushi had brought. Not even bothering to check the year of the census, he opened it up and began scanning its contents hoping to find a name of consequence. The problem was that there were thousands upon tens of thousands of names listed, and in no particular order. It could take years for him to sort through all of it. The top of the list was getting boring. He needed a change of pace. '_Maybe if I just unravel the whole thing and the scan it as I roll it back up. Yeah, that'll do it!_'

Unleashing the scroll's full length caught his redheaded cousin a bit by surprise before he returned to his own work. Scanning through the last few names he saw one of particular interest. One Senju Hashirama was the last head of household listed in the census for that year. Shodai Hokage, the very words escaped his lips and he held his breath a little. The founder and first leader of the village, a man of incredible power, and the first of four men that Naruto had sworn that he would one day surpass. He had placed himself on the census last, a clear sign that he saw himself as the least important of all the people in the village. So now he had to surpass not only the Shodai's skill and reputation as a ninja, but also his character and reputation as a man.

After making that solemn vow to himself he returned a careful eye to the parchment he held. Listed under the Shodai Hokage were the names of his wife and the rest of his family. That was when he saw it. He tapped Yurushi on the shoulder and pointed to the writing on the page.

"Uzumaki Mito," Yurushi read. "To think, one of our clan was married to the Shodai. This must be an older census, so I doubt that she is your mother. Still, it's a good find. Good work Naruto. Find a census with a bit more recent of a date and I'll look and see if I can find anything on the matriarch."

Yurushi moved to pour himself over the large Uzumaki scroll, and Naruto reached for another of the census records. Checking the date and finding it to be more than thirty years old he decided to repeat the process and work from the bottom up. Scanning through the names he was disappointed to find the decedents of Shodai were absent, but a new name took its place at the bottom of the list. Namikaze Minato, Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō, Yondaime Hokage, and the best shinobi Konohagakure had ever produced. Although it would be years from the day of the census that he attained the titles, but it was still a touch of destiny that his name would be listed where the Shodai's was some fifty years before.

Namikaze Minato's name was listed alone. Just as he stood alone against the Kyūbi no Yōko as they locked in mortal combat. His personal hero was ever the mystery, but the silent resolve to defend the village no matter the cost was the legacy that the Yondaime had carved for himself. That resolve was reflected in the man's stone image that overlooked the village alongside his predecessors.

If he was to surpass all of the Hokage, Naruto knew he would need to find it in himself to be willing to follow the Yondaime's example. He would need to be willing to lay down his life to protect the village. He would need to be willing to die for people who likely hated him. The blond could not help but wonder if he could do something so selfless. There had been little reason given to even want to protect the people who so easily and so callously pretended he did not exist. Still, he swore to surpass the Hokage, and he would never go back on his word. Somehow, someway, he would find it in himself to be like the Yondaime.

Minutes crawled by as Naruto continued to read all of the names that had been scrawled upon the scroll. He wasn't too sure about some of the names, but he did recognize a few to be members of the various clans that some of his classmates belonged to. Yawning, Naruto was trying to contain his boredom. His cousin loved reading and studying this sort of thing. To him it was like solving a puzzle, but to Naruto it was just reading a bunch of names on a piece of paper. It was entirely boring, but he told Yurushi he would help, and he would never go back on his word.

After what felt like an eternity Naruto stumbled upon the names of several Uzumaki clansmen. He rubbed his eyes and yawned once more trying to wake himself up. Checking the names again he found that he was not hallucinating. He gained the attention of his cousin once more who returned to Naruto's side. While his cousin scanned the contents of the census Naruto leaned over to look at what Yurushi had been reading.

A small excerpt had been listed under the name Uzumaki Mito, and it contained very little details on the woman's life. There was something written about an official treaty between Uzushiogakure and Konohagakure, the solidification of that treaty with a political marriage, and an outline of a mission history for the woman. There were no details on the missions; it was just a count of how many she took of a particular rank. Up until this year he didn't even know that missions were divided by a rank. It was amazing how much he had learned now that he actually paid attention in class, for the most part.

Either way, nothing of consequence had been written about the woman. The dates between her birth and her death were quite startling. '_Whoa! This lady was really, really, really old!_' Naruto thought wondering how it was possible to live over a hundred years, or even how anyone could even occupy their time for a hundred years. There was so much that he could do, but wondered if he would just get bored after accomplishing everything he wanted to. '_Well, I guess after I retire from being Hokage I could pull off some new pranks. I should have all kinds of new material to work with by then._'

"Alright, there are three names here that could be who we are looking for," Yurushi said returning to the giant Uzumaki scroll. "How much time do we have left?"

Checking the time Naruto answered. "We have twelve minutes before we need to get in position."

Naruto had never seen his cousin move with such a feverish pace outside of his regular combat training. The kid really wanted answers, and was clearly desperate to find the answers that had eluded him so far. He had slowed his frantic searching for the moment and Naruto peaked over his shoulder to get a glimpse of what his cousin was looking at. The names he was skimming through had matched several of the ones listed in the latest census. Naruto was a little disappointed that there were no pictures to accompany all the names. The blond double checked the time and wished their close call with security hadn't taken so long. They needed more time, and taking the scrolls, while tempting, would only cause more problems than it would solve.

"Here, Naruto look at this," Yurushi murmured. Naruto looked at the list of names that the redheaded Uzumaki had pointed to, but didn't really know what he was supposed to be seeing. His cousin must have figured that out. "These are the people listed in the census. There were fourteen that arrived in the village two years before Uzumaki Mito died. All of them were ninja except for one girl. When they came to the village she was around our age. The rest of the group was comprised entirely of shinobi. They don't have much of a mission profile, but from the ranks of the missions they took I would say that they were all chūnin at least. Three, maybe four of them, were jōnin. The eldest one of the group never really took missions, but this profile does mention that he was an expert in combat-grade fūinjutsu."

"What does that mean?" Naruto pondered. He didn't get it. Yurushi was smarter than him, but sometimes the blond couldn't help but wonder if his cousin saw things that simply were not there.

"If I had to guess," Yurushi began cautiously as if still putting all of the pieces together. "I would say that they were brought in as body guards, but I can't tell if they were here to protect the matriarch or the girl in their group. Funny thing, the girl has the least amount of information in the scroll. There's just a name, a date of birth, some mission records, and a date of death."

"Well what's so funny about that, that's pretty much all that is listed for the rest of our clan," Naruto grunted in slight frustration. Yurushi was three steps ahead, and not doing a very good job of keeping him up to date.

"Yeah, you're right," Yurushi relented. "It's just all of the dates that the rest of the clan members were reported dead are really close together. I mean really close, weeks if not days apart. It looks kind of suspicious. Another thing is the girl survived whatever killed off the rest of the clan."

"You mean that she was the last Uzumaki in the village before I was born?" Naruto was breathless this was his mother. It had to be. "What's her name?"

"Quiet," Yurushi warned. "Her name is Uzumaki Kushina. I suspect that she could be your mother, but the date of her death is about twenty six years ago. According to these records she died long before you were born, but I'm not seeing anyone else who could fit the bill."

Crestfallen Naruto couldn't help the tears forming in the corner of his eyes. It was a dead end after all. His parents may as well have been myths or ghosts. They might have existed, but they had abandoned him, just as Yurushi had been abandoned. Rubbing his eyes to stem the flow of tears, the blond collected himself. "We need to get outta here or we're gonna get caught."

Yurushi collected the various scrolls that he had pulled from shelves in order to return them. "Will you be able to tell when the guard change is taking place?"

"Yeah I'll hear them," Naruto said with a slight sniff as he prepared to hoist the giant scroll back onto its proper resting place. "We should split up and go back home separate ways, just in case we are trailed."

"I'll see you back there then," Yurushi nodded in agreement gathering the scrolls he had picked off the shelves.

His cousin disappeared from view, and Naruto was left alone staring at the giant scroll that detailed the history of his clan.

"_Uzumaki Kushina,_" the page read. "_Academy Student promoted to genin and again promoted to chūnin through her performance in the Chūnin Exams. Missions Completed: S – 0, A – 0, B – 2, C – 6, D – 19. Birthday July 10th in the year 27 AKF. Originally a citizen of Uzushiogakure. Legally immigrated to Konohagakure in the year 37 AKF, and enrolled into the Academy. Graduated from Academy in the year 38 AKF and promoted to chūnin the following year. Died in the year 41 AKF in a skirmish with Kumogakure shinobi._"

The entry was mechanical and dry. Completely devoid of all life or emotion, and it was unfitting for the young girl who Naruto had suspected to be his mother. Clearly, the entry had been written by someone not of the clan. The writing had no soul, and only a person detached from the story would be able to stick to facts alone. Perhaps, the name Uzumaki was not really his after all. Perhaps it was a ploy, a well-crafted story, to ensure that he had some sense of identity and connection to a past. Maybe his past, his name, his life was all just a lie that the Hokage had told him because the old man didn't know, but didn't have the heart to give him the truth. '_No! That can't be true! It isn't true! The old man wouldn't lie to me like that. If he didn't know who I was he would tell me that he didn't know. He wouldn't make up some crazy story like that._'

Returning the huge scroll back to fill the empty space it left on the shelf Naruto readied himself to make a stealthy escape. Yurushi didn't seem quite disturbed, or maybe he was. It was hard to tell what his cousin's silence meant sometimes, but maybe Yurushi had an idea as to what happened. Or maybe he was just as lost as Naruto was. The mission held a degree of success, but they had discovered more questions that remained unanswered. The only one that Naruto felt his mind focusing on was born of a possibility that had been awakened during all the sneaking around. '_Where do I come from?_'

* * *

The apartment was dark. Yurushi thought better when he could focus, and right now after his eyes had become so well adjusted to the absence of light, the shadows of midnight helped him focus.

'_A small group of Uzumaki clan members journeyed here just before the matriarch died. An elder of the clan, skilled in combat fūinjutsu, three four man cells, and a civilian girl in training to become a ninja all left their home and came to live in this village. The entire group died within five years of their arrival. The adults died of various fatal illnesses. Highly unusual for a shinobi to die of an illness rather than an enemy, it's almost suspicious. Any medical records that exist would probably reflect the official story. Only the civilian girl died in combat. Mission records are probably classified. Still, no other Uzumaki lived in the village between the times of her death and Naruto's birth. The DNA testing Hokage-sama did when I first arrived confirmed that Naruto and I are blood relatives. The only logical answer is that the death of Uzumaki Kushina was faked, but to what end?_'

Blinding, painful light sprung into existence and Yurushi covered his eyes with his hands. Burying his face into a nearby pillow to prevent the light from spilling through his cupped hands he almost didn't hear his cousin greet him.

"What are ya sittin' in the dark for?" The blue eyed boy questioned. Yurushi shot a glare letting Naruto know that he had disturbed something. The look of guilt that crept over Naruto's face softened his own gaze. It was difficult to stay angry at the kid for too long.

"I was just thinking," Yurushi answered gently to ease Naruto's slight guilt, "and I was going to go to sleep soon so the light wasn't needed."

"Oh," Naruto responded closing the door again. The boy looked a little disappointed. Clearly the information that had been gleaned from the Archives had not been very satisfying to Naruto either. Yurushi had dangled the idea of finding the identity of Naruto's mother out in front of him only for it to be denied.

"Naruto," Yurushi began. He needed to explain his suspicions, and he needed to make sure Naruto understood that even though he felt confident about them they were only suspicions. "I believe that several things have been hidden regarding the fate of our clan. I think this is done in part because no one is certain who was behind the destruction of our clan's village, but I think that there is something else at work here."

There was silence and Naruto had given him his utmost attention. "I suspect," Yurushi continued, "that the arrival of fourteen members of the Uzumaki clan, coincide with the death of Uzumaki Mito in some way. They arrived for a purpose, and needed to accomplish something before she died. They did not leave after her death, but stayed. This could be because their home was destroyed by then or there could be another reason. Thirteen able bodied shinobi at least chūnin in rank all died of natural causes, while a teenage girl who was a certifiable rookie ninja died in combat. After the death of Uzumaki Kushina there are twenty six years where no Uzumaki lived in the village, yet you were born as a citizen of the village."

"What do you think that means?" Naruto asked sounding a little hopeful.

"I think that means that the reports of Uzumaki Kushina's death were falsified by the village," Yurushi answered and held his hand up to keep Naruto from asking the inevitable question. "I suspect the village faked her death in order to protect her in some way. I just don't know why."

"So," Naruto eased into his line of thought. "Was she my mother?"

Yurushi thought for a moment. She was the only possible candidate, but her reported death would make proving that difficult. "Officially, no she is not your mother. Unofficially, however, I believe that is exactly who she is. Perhaps her death was faked so they could protect the last living member of an allied clan, but I don't see why they would go to such lengths."

"Do, um, ah, well," Naruto stuttered grasping for words and clearly struggling with giving voice to his thoughts. "Do you think I could maybe find a picture of her? I know it sounds stupid, but I just want to see her face."

"Naruto," Yurushi said with deep empathy. He understood the request, the desire, the need to look into the eyes of the woman who gave birth to you. As if just seeing their face would let you know if, or how much, they loved you. Were they happy you had been born, did they regret not being near, or did they cry when they learned fate had conspired against them. Katsushiro-sensei had been a personal and dear friend of his own mother, so at the very least he was comforted by his master's stories. Naruto had nothing. Rising from the couch Yurushi realized his exhaustion was palpable and set off to find rest.

Naruto, lost in his own thoughts, had taken a seat at the table in the small dine-in kitchen. Yurushi placed a firm hand on his cousin's shoulder to let him know that he was there. The blond never turned around, but some of the tension eased just a bit, and he knew that Naruto understood the connection they shared. Theirs was a broken past, and piecing together the connections between their past and present was a personal mission that the redhead had been dedicated to. "I won't stop looking for answers. I promise I'll find a way for you to see your parents, even if it is just a picture. I'll talk to Jiraiya-sensei about all of this the next time he is in town. He wouldn't think too much of it if _I_ started asking questions about things that are supposed to be classified."

"Thanks, but you don't have to do all of that for me. I'll be fine, really. I'm sure I'll find out one of these days. Besides, you're my family Yurushi, so as long as we have each other's back that's good enough for me," the boy said with a mirthful smile. Yurushi would never challenge it, but he was not fooled, Naruto was still upset about the situation.

"It's too late to change my mind Naruto," Yurushi said with a smirk as he made the journey toward his bed. "Besides, I already made a promise. You of all people should know what that means."

Closing the door to his bedroom and feeling at ease within the darkened sanctuary he imagined his cousin's face being lit up with a truer sense of joy that he had been trying to fake earlier. Naruto's determination and grit had materialized in the sort of lifelong motto of '_I never go back on my word,_' and Yurushi had silently adopted it. There was honor in that, and such sentiments should always be emulated.

Lighting the candle on his desk he took a brief moment to add the poem he had scribbled down earlier that evening to the proper anthology he was writing. The brush strokes were careful and easy. Well practiced movements as the kanji formed upon the parchment. Tonight much had been learned, but for every mystery that was solved that many more secrets remained.

'_It isn't over yet,_' Yurushi determined as he finished his brushwork. '_No. This is only the beginning._'


	9. Team Thirteen, Form Up!

**Chapter 9: Team Thirteen, Form Up!**

"The most sublime act is to set another before you." - William Blake

* * *

The songs of birds wafted in the air and through the open window. There was an ease about the morning thus far, but the ever anxious anticipation built up within his heart. After finishing his katas and sword maintenance, Yurushi was stunned when Naruto greeted him at the door. It was far too early in the day for the blond to be up and about, but he had said that he needed to start a serious training regimen since he had to be ready for his own graduation exam next year. The change was sudden and surprising, but ultimately the young swordsman chalked up the shift in schedule to Naruto just being Naruto.

Yesterday had been a day full of paperwork and bureaucratic logistics. Signing papers, in triplicate mind you, taking pictures, and learning his Ninja Registration Number. All of it happened so quickly. Perhaps, it only seemed to be fast because the moment was so surreal.

"Zero, twelve, five, seventy two," Yurushi muttered quietly to himself. He had committed it to memory already, but repetition would only serve to engrain it further.

Having just showered, he had found himself in quite a dilemma. For the first time in his life, Uzumaki Yurushi was uncertain of what he should wear. He had been staring at his small collection of kimonos for several minutes, and what once would have been a simple choice no longer felt right. Something had changed. Something inside of his mind, and it could not, would not let him wear his traditional outfit. The formal and even the more casual versions of the garb had been a part of his identity as a samurai. It was just as how the drawn blades of his katana and wakizashi had become a part of his arms when he held them in his hands. He was a samurai, and the kimono was like a uniform for him. The colors and patterns of every one of his kimonos would identify to any learned samurai as to who his master was and the heritage of his study. It was part of the title and part of who he was. He was a samurai, or was he?

Looking on his desk he saw the gleaming metal, freshly polished, and the symbol of the village engraved on the surface. Bound to a piece of blue fabric it called to him. It spoke to him, reminding him that he was a shinobi now. Picking it up he saw his own reflection in the metal's surface, and the grey-blue eyes of his reflection stared back. Silently, they studied one another, and they judged one another. To don the hitai-ate and become a ninja was something that he had once been so enthusiastic about. When he first heard that his mother was a great and powerful ninja he wanted to be one as well, but he had never thought an opportunity would arise to where he would actually become one.

He set the fabric and metal down back on the desk for now. It was a difficult decision, and it didn't help that it was over such a meaningless thing. Katsushiro-sensei had said that in the days of old the views of the samurai and the views of the shinobi were not so far apart from one another. Now it seems, things have changed and their beliefs have grown too distant. To wear the hitai-ate might as well signify the abandonment of honor. Shinobi were expected to complete the mission no matter the cost. Sure they had values and morals and a code, but all of it was conditional to completing the mission. If something stood in the path of success it was struck down with no hesitation. Hesitation was a weakness, and would be the ninja's doom.

To walk down the path of the shinobi may result in the discovery of truth. He had a better chance of learning the fates of his mother, Naruto's parents, and the Uzumaki clan by strapping the hitai-ate to his forehead. The nagging thought, what caused him pause and concern was the cost he would have to pay. Nothing that is gained is gained without cost, and he wondered how much of his soul would be sacrificed.

Returning to peer into his closet he considered his options. He could refuse, he could return his hitai-ate, and continue in his study of Bushidō. There was no guarantee that he could learn the truth as a samurai, but it was not impossible. He had learned much up to this point, and while the answers he sought were beyond his grasp now it stood to reason that they would not always be so far away. Alternatively, he could cast aside the honor-bound life of the samurai and devote himself to Ninshū. He would likely commit many sins and do things that he would come to regret. The blood of the innocent would likely coat his hands and their faces would haunt his dreams, but it would be easier to learn the truth. Thus far, it was a matter of access, and as a ninja he would gain more access with time.

He reached into the closet and plucked out his choice. The fabric was spun with the threads of destiny, and it seemed as though he would have to concede this round to Neji's world view. Perhaps, some things are fated. Perhaps, some things are far beyond our control. Perhaps, some moments in life are determined for us, and no matter what was done the outcome is unavoidable.

"No matter what," Yurushi said with a deep sigh, "I made a promise to Naruto, and I will see it through."

The statement made to strengthen his resolve had worked for the moment, and his only hope was that he would not come to regret the decision he made. He silently prayed that his choice would help him keep his word and not hinder him instead.

* * *

"So," the girl started slowly, "do you think we'll all be on the same team together?"

Squeals of excitement soon followed. Neji rolled his eyes in annoyance. The girls behind him were testing his last nerve. If they had any hope of passing as a respectable shinobi, then he hoped they would be placed in an intelligence gathering unit. Rumors were already their stock and trade. Yet, fate had already determined where they stood in such matters, and he knew that no matter what team he was placed on their success was assured to a certain extent. His only preferences were for a respectable Sensei that could help him grow in skill, and for teammates who would take their role as ninja seriously.

The empty seat to his left was all that stood between him and the window. Perhaps, their clash in opinions had caused Yurushi to exact his own brand of justice on him. The Uzumaki genius was never this late, and he had to suffer the ramblings of relationship gossip for far too long. At least with Yurushi he could have an intelligent conversation, but the redhead had left him to endure the squeals of the swordsman's fan girls. Each had their own deluded dreams and plans of causing the object of their affections to fall madly in love with him.

One such plan involved a kunoichi, if one could describe the girl in such a way, allowing herself to be captured by bandits. Yurushi would then swoop in and defeat the hordes of thugs all in an effort of saving her. She would then proceed to give him proper thanks by kissing him under the moonlight. To think, a ninja of Konohagakure would stoop so low as to put the mission and the lives of her team at risk just to win over a potential boyfriend. It was sickening. If he had to wait for Yurushi to arrive much longer he might actually begin considering seppuku as a viable solution to prevent losing his sanity.

The door opened and the girls behind him gasped, and without even turning around to check he knew that Yurushi had entered the classroom.

"Finally," Neji said to himself under his breath.

Setting his sword so it stood resting against the table Yurushi took the empty seat. Neji studied his rival carefully. He wore a black jacket, unzipped, with a thick white stripe going down from the neck and shoulders and narrowing to a stop midway down either arm. Underneath was a simple white shirt with the Uzumaki emblem square in the middle of the chest. His pants were also black made in the loose material and design that ninja frequently wear. Strapped to the outside of his left thigh was a shuriken holster. White cloth wound around each of his shins, keeping the loose bottoms of his pants from flaring too far outward. Pinned to his right arm near the shoulder was another trinket, symbolizing his relationship to the Uzumaki clan. The sword he carried was different as well, as the wakizashi was brought in favor of his katana. The hitai-ate made the change complete. It rested on his forehead so that it allowed his bangs to hang free as the ever brighter red hair lightly obscured his right eye.

"Why the change in outfit?" Neji asked dispassionately.

"It was time to set aside some misconceptions I had made about myself. I was never a samurai, not in earnest. The training I was given was to prepare me for the life of a shinobi. I was born an Uzumaki, a once proud shinobi clan, and my mother died a shinobi's death. My birthright is one of a ninja," Yurushi said with a practiced ease. It was almost as if he were trying to convince himself of his answer more than he was trying to convince anyone else. "I am a shinobi now, and it was time to embrace that."

"I see," Neji responded. It seemed as if Yurushi had finally stopped fighting against fate. Or at least was trying to. He may have been trained as a samurai, and he may have been desperately clinging to that identity, but the truth was a simple one. He was born into a shinobi clan, and fate had decreed that was who he was. Fight it as he may, the redhead would be better off embracing his fate. Life would be easier if he accepted who he really was rather than struggle to keep hold of a lie. Although, Neji wasn't entirely convinced that the sudden change of mind was complete. Yurushi himself still had to believe what he had said.

"I suppose I should congratulate you for graduating at the top of the class," Yurushi said as his friend's countenance seemed to lighten up.

"You could, but I would take no pleasure in the accolades," Neji said with a frown.

"Really now?" Yurushi teased. "I suppose you would have preferred to graduate as second overall then?"

"It would make little difference," Neji would not be goaded right now. The Uzumaki's playful attitude and incessant ribbing was only done to get a rise out of him. "Both you and I scored too well in class. There is no possible way they would put the two best overall students on the same genin team. Other teams would be strategically imbalanced."

"Why does that bother you so much?" Yurushi asked rather bluntly. "I mean, sure, we're friends and all, but that doesn't mean we have to be on the same team."

"It isn't friendship that makes me wish we would be placed together," Neji clarified. "I simply think that I would become a more powerful shinobi if I had someone such as yourself as a teammate and sparring partner."

"Oh, I see," the redhead responded and paused in thought. Mizuki arrived in the classroom with several other shinobi. All of whom were introduced as the Jōnin Sensei that the newly minted genin would be assigned to. One in particular caught Neji's eye. He was a tall and quite powerful looking man who, judging from his build was a taijutsu expert. This of course was not as obvious due to the bowl cut hairdo, the stupid looking grin with unnaturally white teeth, and a horrifying green body suit that seemed to have been made of a form fitting material. Neji hoped _that_ man was not the jōnin that was to be his Sensei. But if he were, if fate were to conspire against him, then Neji could only hope he was every bit the taijutsu expert he seemed to be. Mizuki began to list off the team assignments and Neji kept an ear open for his name.

"Well," Yurushi spoke just above a whisper so as to not interrupt, "I think it would be better for the both of us that we aren't on the same team. I mean, just think. The next time we spar will probably be several months from now. After all that time learning and training underneath a jōnin we would have all sorts of new skills. It would make our match far more interesting if we don't already know exactly what we are capable of."

Neji silently conceded the point. If they were placed together then they would, by the necessity of teamwork, need to know each other's moves like their own. They would spar frequently and train together which would leave no room for surprises in their fight. All in all, the predictability would make things dull. Still, being able to overcome an enemy you knew and who knew you in turn was a challenge all its own.

"Hyūga Neji, Tenten, and Rock Lee, you are all now members of Team Nine. Maito Gai will be your Jōnin Sensei," the Academy Instructor said snapping Neji from his thoughts.

"Whoa, Tenten and Lee," Yurushi whispered. "Your team should be pretty interesting."

"Alright Team Nine!" Maito Gai yelled out. "There is no reason to sit around and waste the springtime of our youth! Follow me!"

'_He's insane_,' Neji thought with his face buried in his palm as the man rushed through the classroom door. The entirety of the class was left stunned by the outburst of enthusiasm save Lee. The hopeless genin took off after his newfound teacher with an equal degree of excitement. Neji then met the eyes of his other partner, and the kunoichi looked back at him and shrugged her shoulders. Clearly, Tenten was also confused.

"Good luck with your Sensei Neji," the redhead next to him whispered as Neji gathered his things. The young Hyūga couldn't stand the look in his friends face. It was one of restrained hilarity, and Neji could almost feel the pressure building inside Yurushi as he desperately tried to hold back his laughter. It figured that his Sensei would be a joke.

"Uzumaki Yurushi," Mizuki began listing off new names and caught Neji's attention as he rose from his seat to follow suit with his team. "Muramasa Kenshi, and Yukimura Hanami will be Team Thirteen under Gekkō Hayate."

As he slid the door open Neji embraced the fate that lay ahead. He was partnered with a hopeless loser who could only perform taijutsu, a kunoichi that was surprisingly skilled in a variety of weapons, and an insane man who he prayed was at the very least a powerful jōnin; respectable seemed a little far off right now. He left his friend behind to face his own fate, which seemed to make sense for the moment. Yurushi's Sensei wielded a sword, which may have been a deliberate assignment. His teammates were mediocre shinobi at best, but perhaps they could help the redhead develop his skills just as Neji had grown from their rivalry.

Sliding the door closed and stepping out into the empty hall he began the long walk toward whatever lay in wait for him on the road to the future, and the greatness that lay beyond.

* * *

A brief gust of wind cooled him from the heat of the blazing sun. Adjusting the way his sheathed sword laid across his back Yurushi tried to make sitting against the wall a bit more comfortable. He couldn't stand wearing it on his back, but it would be in the way were it around the waist. He felt satisfied with his team. Kenshi, he knew to an extent. They had worked together for most of the year on a project that Mizuki had assigned to the class. His fellow swordsman was quite clever. Most of the hand signals they had created as a form of nonverbal communication had been of a design his new teammate had conceived a year ago, but never refined.

Looking in the direction of the kid, Yurushi noticed that Kenshi's outfit hadn't changed much. He wore a burgundy colored long sleeve shirt, which currently had the sleeves bunched up toward his elbow. He also wore a pair of deep navy colored shorts. There was no shuriken holster, but instead a pair of utility pouches that rested around the hip and lower back. Yurushi was curious as to what was carried inside. Having spoken with Kenshi on several occasions he learned that he had no real interest, or skill, with thrown weapons. As such, Yurushi would be surprised if his fellow swordsman actually carried some. The hilt of his ninjatō stuck out over the right shoulder and was strapped to his back by a sageo in a fashion similar to the young Uzumaki's wakizashi. The bandana the boy once wore was now replaced by his hitai-ate, and proved that he was now a ninja.

To his left, Hanami was a bit more of a mystery. The girl spent far more time with her friend Tenten than she spent with anyone else at the Academy. He had spoken with her only about a dozen times, and even those were fleeting moments. Most people would be awed by her naturally white hair. A few loose bangs grouped together and framed either side of her face while the rest of it was set into a ponytail at the back of her neck. The color gave her an air of regality, but her violet eyes was what always captured Yurushi's attention. It was such a striking color, and he couldn't help but admire her. She noticed his stares and quickly turned away, a rosy blush forming on her cheeks. While Yurushi was studying his teammate, she had been making sidelong glances at Kenshi. Clearly, she was thoroughly embarrassed that she had been caught.

Her outfit was a simple, qipao styled dress in a mauve color. Black accents created a pattern that resembled buds on a tree beginning to bloom. It looked to be made of a material that was far more durable than silk, wool, or cotton, but retained a simple elegance of a more formal fashion. It was a custom order; that probably meant her family had an understanding of the ninja life and the money to keep their daughter very well equipped. Longer black leggings extended from the hem of the dress, and a shuriken holster was strapped to her left thigh. Using her hitai-ate as a sort of makeshift obi, she was able to secure a utility pouch at her hip.

His new Sensei cleared his throat gently gaining everyone's attention.

"Yes, well," the man said hesitantly, "now that we're all here I think we should take the time to introduce ourselves."

Yurushi studied the man. Bits of brown hair fell across his face and rested at the bridge of his nose while the rest was hidden beneath a hitai-ate worn as a bandana. The standard fare of blues were layered beneath the green of a flak jacket. It was not an outfit that stood out in a crowd within the village, and could almost be the unofficial uniform of the Konohagakure shinobi. This was likely done on purpose, so that a deeper sense of unity and camaraderie could be made by ninja who didn't really know each other. Of course there could be several reasons for a uniform fashion amongst the majority of chūnin and jōnin ranked shinobi. The katana the man had fastened to his back was an interesting difference. The katana was not a standard blade for the ninja. Realistically, they were too long and unwieldy in the confined spaces that most ninja worked in. This man must be a very well-practiced kenjutsu practitioner.

"Since nobody is going to volunteer," the man said quietly, "I'll go first."

In the brief pause that settled as his new Sensei gathered his thoughts Yurushi began to worry about the darker circles that seemed set in underneath the man's eyes. The redhead couldn't help but wonder just how much sleep the guy was working off of.

"My name is Gekkō Hayate," the man in question stated. "I am a tokubetsu jōnin and one of the preeminent kenjutsu practitioners in the village. I enjoy spending time with my girlfriend and viewing the night sky. My dream is to one day become a member of ANBU so that I may protect the village and everyone I care about."

"My name is Muramasa Kenshi," the boy stated as soon as Hayate had finished. "I like learning all about kenjutsu techniques and making new swords with my father and older brothers. My dream is to become Hokage and bring recognition back to my clan."

There was a steeled determination in the statement of Kenshi's dream. Though he lacked the same enthusiasm, Hayate-sensei had the same sort of determination in his eyes. Both spoke of their dream as if it was an event in the future they were simply preparing for. His Sensei seemed to acknowledge the similar attitude with a nod and a slight grin.

"My name is Yukimura Hanami," the girl's voice rang out. She stopped and fidgeted with her hands when all eyes were suddenly upon her. "I enjoy spending time with friends and my family, and I really like watching flowers bloom. My dream is to become a great shinobi, just like my father was."

The word _was_ caught Yurushi's imagination as he could only think that the man had passed away. It was incredibly rare for a shinobi to die of old age, so rare in fact that most believe that it is impossible. Her eyes, however, bore no pain, no grief, and no restrained tears. All he could find was the subtle hint of anxiety.

"I served under your father on a few missions after my promotion to chūnin," Hayate-sensei commented. "He's a good man, and was a hell of a ninja. He was perhaps one of the most powerful Katon users I ever met that wasn't an Uchiha. They said that if he hadn't settled down with your mother and focused on raising a family he could have been an ANBU captain. So I'll be expecting some great things from you."

Hanami's broad smile showed that she had taken the high expectations as a compliment. Of course, with an extremely experienced ninja such as their Sensei he probably had high expectations for all of them. Yurushi was confused. Hanami's father had practically retired from the shinobi corps, and while it was legally possible Yurushi hadn't heard of any cases where it actually happened. There was a story here, and he hoped that his teammate would tell him sometime.

"I guess it's your turn red," Hayate nodded to him.

"My name is Uzumaki Yurushi," he began feeling a little nervous. "I like practicing my katas and studying fūinjutsu. I also enjoy writing poetry. My, um, well, my dream is," he paused. He never really thought about what he had wished to accomplish. He had been trained to observe how things will flow into the future, but to live in the present. Never had he honestly thought about how he had wanted to flow into the future. "I don't really know what my dream is."

"Well," his Sensei chimed in with a little surprise written on his face. "Do you have any long term goals, or things that you would like to accomplish as a shinobi?"

Yurushi thought for a moment. The only thing that really came to mind was solving the mysteries that his clan had left behind. He could mention it, but it could also draw too much scrutiny from someone who would likely report the matter to the Hokage. If Hokage-sama didn't already know about Naruto and his little excursion in the Chūnin Command Center, then he would soon after hearing about his desire to learn classified information. That would make the search near impossible.

"I guess I just want to do what I can to help my cousin achieve his dreams," the redhead answered. Although he had only said that in favor of spilling secrets, it was no less true. He really did want to help his cousin. It was a task that was made harder by the fact that his new teammate had the same exact desire.

"Helping others is a noble goal," Hayate stated with a tired looking smile before suddenly donning a serious look. "Now, I am afraid that you may have been misled as to who exactly becomes a genin."

Looking left and right Yurushi traded confused glances and shrugged shoulders at his comrades before they all turned to their Sensei and hoped that he would explain. If passing the Academy graduation exam was not what made a person a genin, then what was?

"Most of your classmates who graduated along-side you will not become genin. This is because there is a second test," Hayate-sensei said grimly. "Each jōnin will be putting their team through their own test to see if the graduates have what it takes to really become genin. Your chances of failure are right around sixty seven percent. Your test begins in ten minutes on training ground sixteen. If you are late, you fail."

With a puff of smoke their sensei was gone.

"Crap!" Kenshi blurted out. "Did he say training ground sixteen?"

"Yes," Yurushi answered calmly as he stood to leave.

"We gotta double time it then, 'cause training ground sixteen is on the other side of the village. We'll never make it!" Kenshi groaned.

"We have to at least try," Hanami said with a bold inflection in her voice that hadn't been there a while ago. It sounded like she was trying to force herself to rise up to the challenge laid out for her. Willingness to try was a good sign.

"We will make it," Yurushi assured them. "Let's go."

In a mad dash across the rooftops of the village the three genin raced against time so that they could fight to say a team. Yurushi thought about his teammates. Their dreams and their goals resided in the distant future. His were shortsighted, and he didn't even need to be a shinobi to accomplish them. Kenshi and Hanami did, and it struck him. Mizuki had always stressed to the class that the shinobi of Konohagakure were like one large family. The redheaded swordsman had devoted his energy to helping his blood relations, and resolved now to extend that same devotion to his new family. He would do what he could to see their dreams come true as well.

* * *

The knots were tied, but not too tight. The timer was set for fifteen minutes. That should be plenty of time to gauge their individual skills and abilities. It wouldn't determine if they would pass the test and become true ninja, but it would give him an awareness of how to help them grow in their training. Their success or failure was purely dependent on their ability to see through the smoke and mirrors that he would establish; to look underneath the underneath. Gekkō Hayate hoped his little students would pass. He really wanted to prove himself as an instructor, and he would rather be teaching some genin a thing or two about the sword instead of waiting for another reassignment.

"Are you alright up there?" The tired eyed man asked from behind a large wooden post.

"Yeah," a sweet, demure voice answered. "It isn't too tight Hayate-kun, and I can still make hand seals if I needed to."

"Good," he mused as he walked around to double check the appearance of his _prisoner_. "Whether they win or lose you should have plenty of time to escape and give a convincing performance."

"Was it really necessary to give them a ten minute time limit?" the woman asked her quizzical brown eyes studied him carefully. It was a shame, but her long purple hair was hidden between her body and the wooden post. She was the vision of beauty, and not even the evening canopy, in the fullness of its splendor, could compare to her. "That wasn't part of your original plan."

"I decided to change things up," he answered matter-of-factly. "They all seemed to be pretty level headed and putting them on a time crunch like that would make them physically tired, and mentally off balance. When I give them the details of their test then they'll be dealing with emotional conflict as well. I need them under pressure to test them. It's like forging a blade. The steel must be properly tempered or it will be of no use in battle."

"You are devious Hayate-kun," the beauty said with a smile that made her look devious in her own right. "Are you sure you wouldn't want to work under Morino-san? I'm sure he'd love to have you on his team."

"I think I'll pass Yūgao-chan," Hayate countered with a chuckle. "Don't tell him I said this, but Ibiki kind of scares me."

"He kind of scares everyone," Yūgao answered with a small laugh. She was the love of his life, and the reason why he woke in the morning, the purpose behind his training, and the motivation to grow stronger. He would lay down his life for her without a second though or a moment of regret.

"Are you sure you'll be able to escape easily?" He knew she could, but making sure never hurt.

"It's sweet that you care so much," his girlfriend teased with a smile, "but if I were your enemy you would be dead right now."

"There you go again," Hayate loved the way she flaunted the difference in their overall skills, if only for the simple fact that it added a little more gusto to his training efforts. He didn't begrudge her though, because the skills she had were skills that would keep her alive. Her job was a much higher risk. He was far too much of an individualist to ever ask her to fight his battles, but simply knowing that she could handle herself in the field put portions of his mind at ease. "Girlfriend makes ANBU and beats me in one, I repeat one, kenjutsu spar and she never lets me hear the end of it."

She started giggling, and the sound was honey in Hayate's ears. Mentally he began running through a checklist of everything he had on him. Knowing it was already in pristine condition, he drew his blade to inspect it, just to double check. Yūgao seemed to quiet down a bit.

"They are getting close," the woman said professionally. It was time for her end of the mission, and she would perform it perfectly. "They should be here in a minute or two."

"Good," the elite swordsman checked the time. "They're cutting it pretty close, but I'll just go ahead and say that they made it on time."

If nothing else, this test would prove to be an interesting display of the skill that was coming out of the Academy these days. His prospective students landed deftly in a loose formation. Yurushi took up a point position in the middle, while Hanami stood to the left of the Uzumaki and Kenshi to the right. They stood a several meters away from his current position, in front of the wooden post where his prisoner was bound.

"Now that you're here," Hayate said stepping forward toward his potential team of genin as they steeled themselves. "We can begin."

* * *

Yurushi felt tense. He had yet to recover from their run, and now their Sensei stood in front of them telling the freshly formed team that it was time to start the test. The way he stood seemed aloof, but there was a hint of caution to the way Hayate-sensei moved his feet. There was something or someone tied to the post behind him, but there was no clear look from where the redhead stood.

"Behind me," Hayate-sensei said while stepping to the side, "is a woman that I have taken prisoner."

With a deep and rich violet colored hair and fair skin, the woman stood. She was bound to the post by rope and unable to move. Her eyes were desperate and silently she pleaded with him to grant her freedom.

"Why did you do that Sensei?" Hanami asked. There was a healthy mix of curiosity and nerves that bled through those words. Yurushi felt he could relate. Taking a hostage seemed to be something that went against whatever sense of honor the shinobi might have.

"This is your test. You will be given fifteen minutes to rescue her from me. You may use any technique and any strategy that you deem necessary. I would recommend that you work together as a team and be prepared to kill me, because if you hold back even a little you will fail. Treat me as though I were an enemy, because I will fight you as if you were a threat."

"But, you're a jōnin!" Kenshi blurted. It wasn't a stupid observation, or a blatant stating of the obvious. Rather, it was an admission of the difference in skill. Yurushi couldn't help but agree. Even if they had been working together as a team for years, three genin against a jōnin, even a tokubetsu jōnin, was a near impossible feat. The only way to win with that much disparity in skill would be an intimate knowledge of the enemy, careful planning, the element of surprise, and perfect execution. Such things were a tall order for most ninja, and for Team Thirteen this would be near impossible.

"No, I am a ninja, and so are you," their Sensei corrected. "Rank and title measures the responsibility you have been given to protect the village. On the battlefield, when you are fighting for your life and the lives of your teammates, ranks will mean nothing. You have your mission. Rescue this woman in fifteen minutes or you will be dropped from the Shinobi Training Program altogether."

"I thought you said that we wouldn't become genin if we failed?" Kenshi questioned as he became more aggravated with the changes in the test.

"You won't, but the reason why has changed. On the battlefield things can change any moment, and this is no different," the man explained quickly.

"If we fail, what happens to her?" Yurushi asked nodding his head in the direction of the captured woman.

"Well," Hayate thought for a moment. "If you fail to rescue her in time I will kill her."

The silence that crept over the trio of genin was deafening. This woman had probably just been plucked off the street. She had been going about her day just as any other, and now her life was being threatened. Her only hope, her only chance, her very life was now the burden of Team Thirteen. Yurushi tried to assess the situation as quickly as possible. Time had not yet begun so, maybe, just maybe he could throw some sort of plan together.

"But, but, um, Sensei," Hanami weakly stuttered, as the pressure of the sudden revelation seemed to be too great for her. A person's life was riding on their success, and it seemed that Hanami felt rather uncomfortable with that thought. "You can't do that. Can you?"

"Oh, but I can," Hayate answered with a wicked grin. The look in his eyes seemed less tired but entirely psychotic. "The Hokage has given me full authority to test my team as I see fit. Anything goes, and if you fail then she dies. I do hope you don't fail. I would hate for the Hokage to have to explain to her young children that the failure of three promising young ninja was the reason that their mother died."

'_Crap_,' Yurushi thought as he surveyed the battlefield. Kenshi was like a spring wound too tight. He was going to break, but unlike Hanami who was already retreating within herself, Kenshi would likely launch into a frenzied assault. They were in a fairly open clearing. The ground was relatively level. Behind him there was a line of trees leading into a heavily forested area, and the sounds of running water trickled in through the ancient trees. There was nothing nearby that could serve as an ambush point. A few large boulders rose from the ground to the left, but they were too far away to have any strategic value. The only approach was a direct one.

"Well then," Kenshi hissed angrily. Yurushi swore to himself hoping that Kenshi wouldn't just rush in. "We don't have any time to waste!"

The hopes of the redhead were dashed as Kenshi sprinted toward his opponent. Hand on the hilt of his ninjatō, the only attack that could be made from the draw was a downward strike. Hayate-sensei hopped backwards a bit gaining distance. Yurushi saw his hands move and the seal they formed was all too familiar. Two copies of the elder ninja sprung into existence, and all three drew their swords. Yurushi went through a short series of hand seals of his own. He would need all the extra speed he could get.

"Bunshin no justu Sensei?" Kenshi sneered as he neared his target. "I can see straight through that lame trick!"

"Kenshi retreat now!" Yurushi yelled to no avail. The Masamune boy didn't know that he was not looking at the simple illusions they had practiced in class. Yurushi sped through hand seals. "Hanami, pull yourself together. When I block Sensei's strike, attack him from the left."

The release of pressure was greeted with a sigh of relief. Normally he would have to take time to adjust to the lack of excess force that always held him back. Now, however, there was no time. Kenshi wasn't even readying a defense, and he would be in serious danger if Yurushi couldn't close the distance. The Uzumaki ran to defend his ignorant friend. Sensei's sword was positioned to cut down the brown haired kid with a strike that would rise up from Kenshi's sword arm. With only a hand on the hilt, Kenshi would have no way to defend himself.

Chakra channeled through his blade, honing the edge to peek sharpness and hardening the steel. Just before the attack struck his friend's side Yurushi knocked his Sensei's katana away so it bit into the earth instead of flesh. Kenshi stopped on a dime, and viewed the scene with utter shock.

"Kage Bunshin," Yurushi explained. "These are no illusions."

Another copy of Hayate appeared at his flank, whether this was the real one or just another Bunshin was irrelevant. He hadn't thought that a follow up would come so quickly. Hanami was supposed to be right behind him. The blade was flying through the air, and with his left hand Yurushi fumbled with the cord that kept his sheath strapped to his back. Grasping the wooden scabbard and bracing his arm against it, he threw it up to intervene.

"Chakra conductive wood? You're full of surprises, aren't you?" The new arrival asked. Yurushi ignored his probe.

"Kenshi, go. Be careful this time," Yurushi ordered quietly. With a nod Kenshi began to run off. "Hanami! I need your help!" The redhead called out hoping that she hadn't just left her teammates to their doom. Honor demanded that he set this woman free. Kenshi's sense of morality was likely offended by what had happened. What was Hanami's reason for fighting? Why would she risk herself for a stranger?

Yurushi sent a swift kick toward the added assailant. Instead of taking the kick his target backpedaled out of range disengaging. '_He either didn't want me to disperse the clone or is trying to keep me from figuring out which one is the real one,_' Yurushi thought. His eye caught something behind the second enemy. Hanami had a hand in her shuriken holster, but looked on nervously. She hadn't fled. She hadn't abandoned her team. That was a bit of a relief.

Quickly, Yurushi tried to press an attack on the first copy of Hayate who had gone to give chase to Kenshi. Catching up to the foe was surprisingly easy, and while his enemy was prone he took a swipe that would leave the man hamstrung. Instead, the clang of metal resounded in his ears along with the sudden realization that his attack was blocked by the clone he had left behind. A sharp pain was birthed in the side of his head as a harsh kick was delivered by the copy of his Sensei that he had failed to attack. He was sent rolling across the ground like a rag doll, and the suddenness of the attack had caused him to lose both blade and scabbard.

Momentum had finally lost to friction as he stopped rolling some distance away from where he once stood. Yurushi's vision was blurry and he thought he could hear a faint ringing in his ear, but still knew that he had to recover. If he was incapacitated for too long then either Hanami or Kenshi would be faced with a two on one scenario. He had to get up. He had to get a weapon. He had to win.

A shadow appeared over his form and as his vision was beginning to clear he saw one of the three versions of his Sensei stand over him. The blade was drawn back for the kill, but it had not been lowered. There was a struggle in his Sensei's arms. He was trying to bring the keen edge down, but it was stopped. His vision cleared enough to see a fine wire wrapped around his opponent's hands. The wire had been tied to a shuriken and led back to Hanami. Her violet eyes had a little more fire in them than a few moments prior. She let loose another shuriken and it seemed to miss its mark until it wrapped another wire around an ankle of the jōnin who would have killed him.

A silent nod was exchanged. Hanami would handle this one herself. He stood just in time to sidestep an attack from a clone of Hayate. The blade shifted in his opponent's hands as a follow up strike was being made. Yurushi stepped forward, blocking the jōnin's hands with his own forearm. A punishing knee was delivered to the redhead's gut, but Yurushi had half expected that to be the answer to his block and tensed his muscles for the impact. Rolling with the impact, he tried to regain his footing but it was a difficult process. Hayate's attacks were relentless and didn't offer much time to react. '_He's moving according to the speed he saw when I saved Kenshi,_' Yurushi thought as he reached into his weapons holster. '_He can be faster if he wanted to. Sensei is holding back._'

Ducking and weaving through the air to avoid the metal was becoming tedious. He needed to make an offensive. Rolling out of the way of another attack he selected his weapon. Kunai knife drawn and resting on a knee Yurushi blocked the katana with the small blade adding another hand behind the flat of the knife to strengthen his defense. The maneuver paid off and the katana stopped instead of tearing into his ribs. Blades locked in a struggle for dominance that Yurushi risked losing to grab another kunai. Once his hand grasped the second weapon Hayate withdrew from the metal grapple and begun to spin around for a new strike. Yurushi reacted quickly and followed in the direction his loss of balance threw him by diving to the right. Rolling through the dive, he stood and threw a kunai at his opponent. The weapon was dodged easily and Yurushi let a second one fly. This one was blocked, and was deflected behind the jōnin.

A single hand seal was made and an explosion roared behind where his Sensei stood. Having prepped the paper bombs was beneficial. The copy of Hayate vanished within the ball of fire. Shrapnel from the knife that had spontaneously combusted ripped through his left arm and right leg. Blood trickled out of either wound. They seemed to be minor, if not just a graze. The pain was there, but it was worth it. He had defeated the Kage Bunshin. He withdrew a scroll from his utility pouch and quickly opened it. Another hand seal caused his the katana his master had gifted him to be freed from storage.

Yurushi took a moment and assessed the battlefield. The two clones of Hayate were on opposite ends of the field. The real one was probably guarding the prisoner, but each were engaging Kenshi and Hanami respectively. Kenshi was holding his own well enough. His stance and his every movement were defensive, and he was just barely keeping up with the jōnin's reserved speed. Though, it seemed that Kenshi was beginning to show fatigue. Hanami, on the other hand, was being overwhelmed. She was starting to get sloppy in her guard. Her inexperience against armed opponents was glaring at the redhead, and had their Sensei been a true enemy she would have been dead already.

Having made up his mind, he unfurled the scroll a bit more to reveal a second stored object. He unsealed an oversized shuriken. He, much like Kenshi, had no preference for thrown weapons but his accuracy was true enough. At this range, he could throw the weapon towards the bindings holding the woman free. It would likely fail in cutting her loose, but it would serve as enough of a distraction for Kenshi to make use of.

He began to spin the starred metal in his right hand, and focused on his target. Once he felt the shuriken had achieved the necessary rotation speed to ensure an accurate throw he let the weapon fly. Not even waiting to see if his plan worked he picked up his katana and rushed off toward the large boulders to cover his approach. Hanami was too far away to make a true surprise attack, but there was a chance that he could catch Hayate-sensei off guard. Any chance, no matter how slight, was better than none.

Back against the face of the rock Yurushi peered around the edge to see what was happening. Hanami had managed to put distance between her and their Sensei, but how much longer that distance would stand was yet to be seen. Yurushi estimated that the ground he would have to cover was just too great. While his speed had greatly improved now that his training seal had been reduced from level three to level two, it was not enough to bridge the gap without his prospective Sensei noticing. The thought of dropping to level one did not excite him. Even if the power of the seal is reduced for moments it could take hours or days to acclimate to the higher levels again. Still, he had time to go down to level one and familiarize himself with the freedom of movement, and it would grant him the speed needed to get the drop on the jōnin.

With a tinge of regret he reduced the strength that was built up into his training seal. Now he had only to wait until his body adjusted to the point where he wouldn't danger himself or others. After moving around behind the cover of the rocks he felt confident that his precision with a blade was as high as ever and returned to view the scene on the other side. He needed the proper opening; one where the jōnin wouldn't see him coming, and where Hanami wouldn't freak out by his approach.

Hanami and Hayate-sensei were in another stand-off. Her kunai was grinding against the edge of Sensei's katana as the white haired girl struggled to keep her footing. A sudden jolt from Hayate caused Hanami to jump backward as she flew through hand seals. Bringing a hand to her mouth she breathed a steady stream of fire. For all the stories Yurushi had heard about the famous ninjutsu, the display was entirely underwhelming. He had expected something bigger. Something like what Jiraiya-sensei had done. That was the difference between a genin and someone like Jiraiya was vast.

There was no way the attack had worked. It was too forward, and was much weaker than the only other Katon technique he had seen. The fires ceased their spray and the girl was heaving. Her legs were shaking as she braced her hands against her knees. That technique had taken quite a bit out of her. There was something echoed in the wind, but Yurushi couldn't hear it. The young kunoichi spun around on her heels as if she had determined the location of her attacker.

She began throwing mass amounts of shuriken and kunai at some invisible enemy off in the distance. It was genjutsu. It had to be. Yurushi was loath to reveal his location needlessly, but if he didn't leave now, then Hanami would be in trouble. Under the control of the mind addling technique, the girl would have no defense against an attack.

He sprinted toward Hanami just when Hayate-sensei emerged from his hiding place. Digging deep, drawing out every ounce of strength to get any extra speed he could, Yurushi began to worry. One hand on the hilt and one on the scabbard Yurushi was ready to draw the sword and immediately block. The strategic advantage would be lost, but Hanami would no longer be the target. As he neared the girl, Yurushi's fears began to grow more tangible. Hayate caught a glimpse of him and grinned. The man sped up and in an instant he was upon the girl. His blade drawn high ready to strike as Hanami ran through unseen hand seals. The stroke was swift, and it's cut clean. Even though she was obscured, Yurushi could see his classmate drop to her knees.

"No!" Yurushi screamed as he drew his weapon. He attacked as soon as Hayate was within range. Each and every strike was dodged with a certain degree of arrogance that left the Uzumaki growing ever more infuriated. His rage was making him careless, and even Yurushi noticed how open his guard was after his blade swung wide and missed its mark. Katsushiro-sensei would have scolded him severely for such recklessness, but he couldn't stop. Not until he made Hayate pay.

After another short chain of misses Hayate took advantage of a misplaced step with a sweep of his leg. Yurushi was dropped on his back, and just as he began to rise, Hayate stepped rather forcefully on his right wrist. Eyes closed the redhead tried to calm himself. The farce had ended, and there was no point in resisting. Whatever Hayate decided to do would be the final punishment and it was best to accept it for what it was. Death in battle was a greater honor than what he deserved, but living with the guilt of not saving the woman or Hanami would be a far worse fate. The tip of metal trailed its way across the skin just beneath Yurushi's chin.

"You are quite skilled for your age," Hayate said dryly. "But even with all of your power, you still couldn't save your teammate."

"Just kill me already," Yurushi hissed. The smug grin and the glint of insanity in the jōnin's eyes was more than telling. This was the true face of the shinobi. This was what he was trying to become. There was no honor here, only madness. Regret was all he could feel. Regret and shame. He had abandoned the teachings of Katsushiro-sensei for a life of bloodlust and wanton murder.

"Kill you?" Hayate seemed a bit shocked. "You think just because I killed your teammate and will soon kill the other means that I will kill you as well? You are gravely mistaken."

Yurushi turned his head. He couldn't look at this man anymore. He had been so willing, so eager to call this man his Sensei. He now knew what it meant to be shinobi. It meant to become a monster. It was a road carved out in the shadows of this world, paved with the blood of innocents, and it lead only to untold evil. The last of his regrets would be that he couldn't keep Naruto from this fate.

"No," Hayate continued as the edge of his sword traveled gently along Yurushi's neck. "I know all about the samurai's honor. You will just have to live, but I'll be removing your hands so you can't perform seppuku."

The stance Hayate assumed changed. His body stiffened suddenly and disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hanami stood behind him with a kunai held in her hand. Shock was about the only thing that he could feel. The girl he thought dead was standing right there. Well, standing wasn't exactly accurate. Hanami had collapsed right in front of him desperately clawing for air.

"Thanks for the help," she said between gasps.

"I thought you were," he started.

"Dead?" Hanami interrupted still breathing deeply. "I used a kawarimi."

The bisected log that lay where Hanami had once been explained enough and he cursed the name shinobi for all of this misdirection. At least when samurai fought it was straightforward. Everything was up front and in the open. The more skilled the swordsman the less there was to hide. A duel between two master samurai was often finished after a single pass. The greater the skill the less need there was to resort to tricks. It seemed that shinobi covered even their feints with misdirection and lies. Even the inexperienced ones had grasped this concept. He would be at a disadvantage if he couldn't see through the smoke and mirrors.

"Are you alright? Can you still fight?" Yurushi asked while rising to his feet. Sword in one hand he extended another to his female teammate.

"I don't think I can stand," she answered waving off the offered help. "I used way too much chakra with my Gōyakyū no Jutsu. I haven't even come close to mastering it. My dad said that I shouldn't be using it, but I panicked."

"I'm beginning to think Hayate has been playing on our fears. This whole test feels wrong, and I'm not just talking about the prisoner. I don't think he's just trying to gauge our skill, and I'm sure he doesn't expect us to actually rescue her, but I don't know and I don't trust him. He acted so sure that you were dead," Yurushi said trying to piece together the conundrum. Riddles wrapped in lies. That's all shinobi were, and that the very thing his master's sword was meant to cut through.

"Maybe, but still," Hanami's voice grew a little more concerned. "You should probably hurry and help Kenshi-k."

The sudden stop of the familiar suffix caught the young Uzumaki's attention. She worried about Kenshi, and thought of him in a very familiar way. A hidden crush perhaps, but either way she was right. "Try to catch back up. Even if you can't fight you may be able to help out in some way."

She nodded, and Yurushi rushed off to help their mutual friend. '_There isn't much time, and there is no covered approach. I'll have to just jump in and try to help,_' Yurushi thought as he neared the battle between his classmate and his would-be Sensei. In the distance he could see the shuriken he threw jutting out of the earth, clearly the one opening wasn't enough. Kenshi was relentless in his assault, and his speed seemed to have picked up considerably. The brown haired boy bore several gashes from which blood freely poured, but the jōnin had a few cuts of his own. Likely, those minor injuries were from where he had underestimated Kenshi.

The boy launched himself into a new chain of attacks and the clash of metal resounded across the open field. The gleaming steel danced across each opponent until their struggle for dominance reached a standstill. Hayate had taken a defensive stance and positioned himself between Kenshi and the prisoner. Kenshi tried to create enough of an opening to sneak by, but each effort was stonewalled.

A loud buzzing noise erupted from the area where the two ninja fought, and Yurushi skidded to a stop mere meters from what he would consider a threat range. The noise caused Kenshi to hesitate, but Hayate did not. The boy was quickly disarmed and pinned to the ground. With his face in the dirt, Hayate's knee in his back, and the edge of a sword against his neck, Kenshi was trapped. Yurushi gripped his katana ready to act accordingly. Hayate might not be trying to kill them, but the redhead wasn't about to give the jōnin the benefit of the doubt.

"Don't draw your sword," Hayate said with a tired calm.

"What are you going to do?" Yurushi asked.

"The test is over," Hayate answered. "Despite whatever my clone may have led you to believe I am not going to kill any of you."

Just before Yurushi could follow up with a question a noise from behind drew his attention. Another clone of the bandana wearing ninja was escorting a rather downcast looking Hanami. Once the white haired girl fell in line with where Yurushi stood the clone dispersed in a puff of smoke.

"What happens now?" Yurushi asked confusion getting the better of him. He loosened his grip on his blade, but kept his hand in a ready position.

"Well," Hayate started getting off of Kenshi, and allowing the boy to stand again. "I have to say that I am impressed with each of you. Kenshi, you are very well versed in a variety of kenjutsu styles, but your lack of expertise in one particular style means that you have nothing to fall back on. There were several moments where you became flustered, and panicked when you realized that the form you were using would not work against my technique. You learn different styles to discover their strengths and weaknesses, but you master one so moving is instinctual no matter what happens in the fight."

"Hanami," the man turned to the girl as he sheathed his own weapon. Yurushi finally began to relax a bit as the jōnin no longer appeared to pose a threat, but the young Uzumaki kept a watchful eye out. "I was most impressed by the amount of skill that you displayed. Perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised given who your father is, but you are well beyond your years in talent. A true nature transformation is something that genin are not capable of but on the rarest of occasions. However, you used a technique that you haven't mastered and left you nearly incapacitated. That is unacceptable and will only result in you or a comrade being seriously hurt or worse."

"Then there's you," Hayate eyed Yurushi when he spoke, and the redhead narrowed his gaze. "Your speed is incredible, and your practice with Iaidō is exceptional for someone your age. You are clearly aware of your shortcomings in taijutsu, because even after being disarmed you managed to not only draw a new weapon but defeated my clone in the process. You rescued your comrade from my initial assault and managed to create an opening for him to escape. Instead of providing backup to Kenshi, which may have allowed you to accomplish your objective, you assisted Hanami who was struggling. While your devotion to your new teammates is commendable, you allowed your emotions to control your movements. When you act in anger, you destroy yourself. As a samurai you may not be familiar with the way shinobi operate, but not everything is as it appears. This means that even when you see an ally fall in battle they may not be as dead as you think, so it is important to keep a level head at all times."

"Wait," Kenshi said slowly. His face scrunched up and a hand scratched his chin as he was deep inside his own thoughts. "If you are evaluating our performances and telling us where we need to improve, then does that mean we passed?"

"Did you rescue the prisoner?" Hayate asked flatly.

"Oh, yeah," Kenshi mumbled knowingly. "So we failed I guess, but I will be Hokage! Drop me from the program if you want, I'll become Hokage anyway!"

"No, you won't," the jōnin answered. "Only a ninja of Konohagakure can become the Hokage, and if you are dropped from the program now then your dream of becoming Hokage dies with this woman you failed to rescue."

The would-be Sensei of team thirteen drew his katana one more time. It was slow, and the sound of the metal scraping against its scabbard rang out in Yurushi's ears. He couldn't meet the woman's gaze. He knew she was staring at him, and the weight of failure would be the only thing found in the young mother's eyes. Yurushi had failed her. As a shinobi he would have to live with that shame, but as a samurai there could be a way that the woman may be spared.

"There has to be some way!" Kenshi shouted. "I have to become a ninja! I just have to!"

"Really," Hayate's voice was intrigued. "What would you be willing to do?"

"I'd do anything to become a ninja!" Kenshi declared boldly. He was so certain, so confident, almost desperate. The sword wielding genin had a fire in his voice, and it was almost intimidating.

"Then here is your chance," Hayate's voice was suspect. The man had a plan, and Yurushi knew he could be quite sinister given his earlier displays. He raised his head to watch the exchange. "Your mission has changed Kenshi. Kill this woman and you will become a genin."

Eyes widened in shock. Yurushi was aghast. There was no honor in this, and if Kenshi hadn't looked so frozen with hesitation he might have not been able to look at his friend in the same light again. Would the boy be able to spill innocent blood? Did the fulfillment of their dreams and desires justify the cost of innocent life? If he were to learn the truth, how many mothers, sons, sisters, and friends would be slain? Yurushi couldn't think of a single reason that could make any of that alright. He couldn't let this woman die, no matter what Kenshi's dreams were.

Kenshi looked at his ninjatō. Yurushi couldn't see his face, but if his friend was really the person that he seemed to be there would be debate and conflict painted in his expression. Minutes crawled by with little to no movement taken by anyone present. The tension had set in and showed no signs of dissipation. Yurushi was practically sweating bullets, hoping that his friend would not be willing to take the life of an innocent.

"Who is she?" Kenshi asked as if sniffing out conspiracy. "Who is she really?"

"She is a criminal, a murderer, and has been sentenced to death," Hayate said coldly.

Kenshi hand clasped his weapon as if his resolve was strengthening. His resolve to do what, Yurushi couldn't say. '_Wait, a criminal? A murderer now, but she was a mother earlier? Are both true, or are they both a lie? Or does it even matter at all? Perhaps, this woman's identity is simply motivation for the mission,_' Yurushi rolled the riddle around his mind and let the pieces fall. '_Our mission was to save the woman, but Kenshi's mission changed. He was charged to kill the woman, but would that happen in a real mission? Would Konoha send a group of ninja out to the field with conflicting mission objectives?_'

"If she was supposed to die," Kenshi began to reason aloud, "then I guess I'm just doing what would happen to her eventually."

The boy stepped forward as Yurushi's mind raced through the possibility of which mission objective was the truth and which one was false. '_Shinobi are lies. They are shadows. There is nothing true to them. It doesn't matter who she is,_' he determined. '_I can't let her die for my failure._'

The muscles in his arm were coiled and ready to deliver the final blow, as Kenshi stood and looked at the captured woman. Hanami had already fallen to the ground watching as tears traced the shocked look on her face. Yurushi gripped the hilt of his blade, ready to intercede. The sword fell out of the poised hand landing uselessly on the ground. Yurushi felt his breathing become easier. Kenshi turned to face Hayate and his two comrades. Yurushi saw the slump in his shoulders and how the boy's arms hung limply at his sides. The young swordsman was defeated by a most unexpected enemy; his own conscious.

"I can't do it," Kenshi breathed.

"Very well," Hayate stepped up to finish the task he had given to the failed genin.

"Wait," Yurushi spoke up before the fell stroke could end the captive's life. Hayate's eyes bore into his own with renewed interest. "If someone has to die, then let me take her place. Let her go free and take me instead."

"This woman is a murderer, and you would die for her?" Hayate's words were full of accusation and skepticism. Yurushi didn't believe any of them. "She has a death sentence. Letting her go only prolongs the inevitable. Would you really die for something so pointless?"

"I must," Yurushi answered, assuring himself of his choice. "It was our mission, and we failed. Why should she die for our failure? Where is the honor in that?"

"The honor of the samurai is a misguided notion," Hayate said as he approached the redhead. The steel rested on Yurushi's shoulder as his eyes followed the line of metal up to the one holding it. "But, if this is your wish, then I will grant it."

"And she will go free," Yurushi asked knowing that the word of a ninja is shaky at best.

"I swear on my oath to Konoha that she will live until her crimes must be paid for," the jōnin answered. While Yurushi knew that the ninja could not be trusted on principle, Katsushiro-sensei had said that shinobi in the service of a hidden village are uncommonly loyal to their homes. There was no guarantee, but it was good enough.

The metal felt cold on his neck. It was as if the hand of death was upon the blade, guiding it, directing the edge of destiny. Yurushi closed his eyes and waited. He was disappointed that things would end this way. Naruto, he hoped, would grow to understand. He was supposed to save this woman, and since he could not honor demanded his own life as payment. The strangest sensation though, was that honor was not his only concern or motivation. Part of him conceded that it was important, but the loss of honor would not be what would haunt his dreams. If he sat back and watched this nameless woman die, then there would be no peace. Only regret, that pleading look in her eyes, and the weight of failure would remain.

"No! I won't let you do that!" Kenshi yelled out. "Leave Yurushi alone, and take me instead!"

"So you are willing to take his place?" Hayate asked his tone never changing from the antagonistic disbelief that he had earlier.

"My dad says that being Hokage means protecting people no matter what," Kenshi answered assuming a prone position on his knees. "Yurushi is my friend, and I won't sit back and let him die. If I can't protect my friends as a genin, how could I protect anyone as Hokage?"

"No," a trembling voice rose up the moment Hayate took a step toward the Masamune boy. "Take me instead. If Yurushi didn't have to help me, then he could have gone to back up Kenshi. We failed because I couldn't handle myself in a fight."

"Well," Hayate said sheathing his sword. "I think we have learned our lesson. Wouldn't you agree Yūgao-chan?"

The woman, who had appeared so helpless, freed herself from her bonds with no effort whatsoever. Damn shinobi. "I believe you're right, but if you don't mind I have to be heading off."

"Places to be huh?" Hayate asked with a nod of the head from the woman named Yūgao as an answer. After a brief exchange of words Yurushi didn't quite catch the woman vanished, and Hayate returned his attentions to his students.

"I am pleased to say that you all pass," Hayate's easy going demeanor returned with that simple statement.

"What? I thought we had to rescue that lady to pass. I don't understand," Kenshi voiced his confusion.

"Though it was for different reasons, each of you was willing to give up your own lives to save another. By showing a willingness to sacrifice yourself, you have proven that you are ready to be shinobi of Konohagakure," he answered. "To be ninja means that you must be ready to sacrifice everything at a moment's notice. You may not have reason other than a mission and orders, but you might be faced with a situation where it is either your life or the lives of others. As a shinobi of this village, the lives of others are something we must be willing to defend even if it costs us our own."

Just has Yurushi had thought, the entire test was misdirection. They were never meant to rescue the woman. This Yūgao woman was never in any real danger, and neither was the newly formed team. The true test was whether or not the team would be willing to sacrifice themselves for someone else. He felt his stomach churn with the uneasy anger that was building up. Shinobi and samurai were two very separate things. Samurai had honor while the ninja mocked the idea of it. He had hoped that he could find some middle ground, but clearly he was mistaken.

"I am proud to call each of you my students," Hayate said. The warm smile expressed pride, but Yurushi was still put off. This was what Katsushiro-sensei had wanted him to become; honorless and base. It was so twisted it was almost laughable.

"So, we passed?" Hanami asked nervously.

"Yes you did," Hayate confirmed. "We will meet up here at seven hundred hours Monday thru Saturday for team training. I will spend some time addressing your individual growth, but we will primarily focus on making you a cohesive unit. Sunday will be your day off, but I encourage you to train on your own or with your family. Once I feel like you are ready we will start reporting for missions. You are all dismissed."

Hanami got up slowly and began collecting her equipment. Kenshi did likewise, but there was a smile on his face that stretched from ear to ear. Yurushi stood, and turned to watch as they disappeared together in the horizon, smiling, laughing, and talking with one another.

"Yurushi," Hayate's voice brought the redhead back down to earth. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Yurushi answered calmly. He was perfectly fine. It was everyone else that should feel terrible. Hayate was without honor and the man was about to corrupt his friends with twisted philosophies. Yeah, he was alright. "I'm fine Sensei."

"Understand this was all just a test. I want you to trust me, and even though you have your reservations about me now I will never be dishonest with you." Yurushi was grateful that the man was standing behind him. The young man doubted he could hide the scorn that was growing in his heart.

"You don't have to say anything. I just want you to understand that this team is something that I would lay down my life to protect. I expect great things from you," Hayate's voice was so casual and relaxed. It almost took something away from the seriousness of what was being said. Almost. "You need to remember that you aren't a samurai. Honor is a great thing, but you can't let it rule you. There is nothing glorious about dying in battle, and there can be more honor in living with your failure than there is in taking your own life to pay for it. Before you try throwing everything away, think about what would happen to Naruto if you weren't there anymore."

"I understand Hayate-sensei," Yurushi answered. There was a lot to think about. So much of his upbringing was rooted in Bushidō and the life of a samurai. Honor was everything, and death in battle was the highest honor. Death was preferential to any loss of honor, and often times it was the way one could retain it. There was something to what his new _Sensei_ had said, and it took some of the edge off. What _would_ happen to Naruto if he were gone?

"Good," his Sensei returned. "Go home and get some rest. We'll have a long day tomorrow."

Quietly, Yurushi did as he was told. The walk home was long and reflective. He didn't want to learn how to be a shinobi anymore, but he would. Katsushiro-sensei had ordered him to do so, and the redhead would never disappoint his master. His former master. It was then that the young Uzumaki noticed a shift. It was indefinable at the moment, but irreversible. Something had happened on this day, both in Yurushi's dress and attitude. No longer was he a samurai or a disciple of Katsushiro. He was now a ninja and a student of Gekkō Hayate. At the moment he hated the thought, but he would have to learn to make do.

Stepping toward the edge of the training ground something caught his eye. Yurushi took note of one of the few seasonal trees that dwelt in the village. It brought inspiration for a poem that he crafted as he walked.

_Branches grow bare_

_Leaves floating in autumn winds_

_Once stood tall and proud_


	10. Time and Training

**Chapter 10: Time and Training**

"A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value," - Isaac Asimov

* * *

Over the light din of the small restaurant, a sigh of contentment made its way into Yurushi's ears. Skewers that had once pierced sweetened dumplings were piled on a now empty plate. Yurushi sipped his tea and waited patiently. The dull ache in his legs seemed permanent. Training under Hayate was brutal. Although the team had grown the past several months, Yurushi was still having a hard time warming up to the bandana wearing jōnin. Trusting the man was still difficult.

"Man," Kenshi said as he leaned back rubbing his stomach, "this place has the best dango in the village. Are you sure you didn't want anything to eat Yurushi?"

"I already ate," the redhead answered after another sip of tea. The bitter drink brought warm memories of time spent with Katsushiro-sensei. Days travelling, nights spent by a small fire, the calm baritone of his master's voice, and the lessons learned. All of it was missed, but not mourned over. There were new lessons to learn, difficult as they were to accept. "Besides, Hanami should be here soon."

Yurushi, ready to leave, paid for the tab of Kenshi's meal and for his tea. A jolt to the shoulder brought his attention back to his teammate. "Hey! Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Yurushi asked, having already figured what the answer was.

"Why did you pay? Now I owe you for that too," Kenshi moaned. "You already saved me in that mission the other day, and I told you I owed you one. I always pay my debts."

Yurushi had to laugh a little bit at that. The mission itself wasn't that big of a deal, and the only thing that he had saved Kenshi from was embarrassment. "I don't really think you owe me anything. We're on the same team, so it's my job to have your back."

"Yeah I guess," Kenshi sighed in defeat. Clearly he was not satisfied with what he saw to be an accumulating debt. "Still, if you hadn't covered me when I messed up then that whole mission could have gone south."

"I guess," Yurushi thought aloud. "Even so, trying to predict just how a cornered cat is going to move is difficult, so it wasn't really a mistake at all."

"Yeah," Kenshi said while standing. Gathering his equipment, Yurushi stood to walk out with his friend. "You made catching that stupid cat look so easy though."

Yurushi wasn't certain how to respond to that, and remained quiet. His years training in Iaidō had encompassed far more than katas, stances, and sword strikes. Since the practice of the particular style of kenjutsu revolves around the initial strike, being able to read an opponent or a situation was just as important as the actual combat. Avoiding a fight was always the desire of a samurai, and apparently ninja as well. The easiest way to avoid an unnecessary conflict was to read a situation and ascertain the level of threat that exists. If it's inevitable, then reading an opponent's movements simply helps to ensure that the first strike remains true. Efficiency is preferable.

Following his fellow swordsman to the door of the small establishment, he gave way for another patron making their entrance. She was young, his age perhaps, and not Hanami to his disappointment. Her hair color though, was equally odd. An unnatural shade of pink flowed from her head long past her shoulders. Jade eyes caught his, and there was a brief moment where he thought he could hear her stutter something. There was something about this girl, and some nagging thought in the back of that suggested that he should know her. Still, she wasn't Hanami and he needed to leave. Joining Kenshi on a bench just across the street, the pair waited for the third member of their squad.

* * *

The streets were fairly empty as the late morning approached. People still adorned the parks and gardens, but Sundays were different. They felt lighter, and less busy than the rest of the week. The leisurely attitude had even transferred into the way people looked at him. Perhaps this had always been the way things were, or maybe it was a recent development, but either way people saw him with what seemed to be a bit less disdain than usual. Though, he was still largely ignored.

'_Maybe people are in too good a mood to be nasty all the time?_' Naruto pondered to himself as he walked at a brisk pace down the road.

The months since Yurushi had graduated from the Academy had brought several changes. Most of those changes were to his cousin's schedule, and a few other were pretty innocuous, but the end result was that they didn't see too much of one another during the average day. This had at least one positive result. Yurushi would often be too tired to object to when he recommend going to Ichiraku's. There had been a few moments where his elder cousin opposed strongly, but those moments were becoming few and far between.

'_I hope he's too tired after our training today, 'cause I really want that extra large bowl of miso ramen tonight. Now, if I could just find him already!_' Naruto wiped off the drool gathering at the corners of his mouth and buckled down in his search.

Sundays were days off for his cousin, and though the he never took a real break from his training, the redheaded swordsman usually spent the afternoon training with the blond. Naruto had enjoyed the times they trained together, and he felt it had really helped them to connect. The blue eyed preteen had begun to notice serious growth because of all the added assistance. The most obvious improvement had been his grades. While he was far from the top, he was no longer anchored to the bottom of the list, and some of the other students had begun to take notice.

'_Jiraiya-sensei is totally going to have to teach me another awesome jutsu when he comes back!_' Naruto tried to imagine what else he might learn. The Kage Bunshin technique was so versatile, and was the perfect skill for the creative prankster. He had gotten some pretty solid practice in with his favorite jutsu, and had learned several things about its capabilities. The first was that they were not well suited for menial tasks. The few times that he had made a clone or two to spruce up the apartment while he had run off to do something else ended with the apartment in worse shape than before.

The other things he had learned came after much experimentation to satisfy Yurushi's ever present curiosity. In time, he discovered that any experience of his clones would become his own once they were dispersed. This meant that anything that his clones learned, did, or said would be recorded by his brain as if he had done it himself. Of course, he would know that it was his clone and not himself, but the knowledge would still be his own. How had he not picked on that earlier? He shrugged it off. The whole thing was confusing, and he didn't understand it. There was something about unused chakra being returned or transferred or something. He didn't know but he didn't need to understand to recognize how awesome it was.

His cousin had thought it could be good to use clones to train, but he declined. Jiraiya-sensei had pretty much limited use of the technique to nothing at all. He wasn't going to break those rules. Breaking the rules meant no new jutsu, and he wasn't going to miss a chance like that. Naruto, however, believed Yurushi to be correct because the soon-to-be ninja rarely understood any explanation that his cousin could offer. '_That guy is way too smart. He could at least try and make sense when he talks._'

A familiar cropping of people came into view in the distance. A girl with white hair stood across from two boys sitting next to each other on a bench. As the guys stood, he noticed the swords that were strapped to their backs. The brown haired one was laughing wildly about something. Naruto recognized the one wearing black clothes and short, choppy, red hair.

"Hey! Yurushi," he yelled out while jogging to catch up with the group.

His cousin had taken to his team pretty quick. It was hard not to get jealous of the idea though. Yurushi was a ninja now, not some Academy student, but a full-fledged ninja. He had a team of his own, and they had become good friends. He had a Sensei who helped him to develop further with specialized training and supervision. Naruto, on the other hand, was stuck in school with only acquaintances, and only Yurushi would help him train. It seemed that the redhead was leaving him behind, and no matter what he did to try and catch up, he just kept on lagging.

"Naruto," his cousin addressed him with subtle curiosity written on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Sunday," Naruto answered knowing that the implication was good enough for Yurushi. "I've been looking for you everywhere."

"I'm sorry," Yurushi replied. "I thought I had told you that I was going to be working on some drills and formations with my team today."

"But," Naruto stuttered trying to recall that conversation but remembering nothing. Stuff like that should be written down. "We always train together on Sundays though."

"Sorry bud, but we're kinda busy today," Kenshi offered while tousling Naruto's hair. Naruto grew a deep scowl. Kenshi wasn't _that_ much taller or older than he was. "Maybe next time we can all spar with each other. I hear that Yurushi's been working on some pretty sweet moves with you."

"Yeah," Naruto quietly growled as he fixed his hair. "I wish you wrote a note about this, 'cause now I've wasted like an hour looking for you when I could have been training, you know."

"Sorry," Yurushi, though casual about it, was probably sincere about the inconvenience.

"Well, I guess I'll go train on my own," he huffed. He needed to work himself up. There was no way he could stay focused on training if he was feeling all depressed and gloomy like that dumb Sasuke. "I can't let this slow me down! I'm gonna be Hokage, so I can't let something silly like this stop me!"

"You're gonna be Hokage?" Kenshi asked with an edged glare.

"You're damn right!" He responded.

"Language," Naruto brushed off his cousin's reproach. The blond could feel Kenshi's challenge and he was rising to it. This guy like so many others didn't believe him, but he was going to make his point loud and clear. Uzumaki Naruto was a future Hokage. End of story.

"Sorry," Kenshi chuckled. "That job is gonna be mine."

"What? There's no way I'd lose to you!" Naruto responded indignantly. He hoped the guy continued to not believe him, 'cause the orange clad ninja-in-training would gladly prove him wrong.

"You know what kid? I kind of feel bad about being the one that keeps you from reaching your dream," Kenshi said as Naruto fumed about being called a kid again. "After the few times we've talked and from what your cousin says, I've started to think that you're alright."

"You're not gonna stop me from being Hokage!" Naruto shouted.

"Maybe you can have the job when I'm done with it," Kenshi teased and the girl giggled in response. Naruto was livid. There was no way he'd ever lose out on his dream. Even if Kenshi was a cool guy, the blond knew he'd be Hokage someday.

"Let's go," Hanami chirped in during the lull. "We're wasting time."

Yurushi's teammates turned to leave, but his cousin stood there. To anyone else, it would have looked like he was staring into space. To Naruto, however, it looked like his cousin was deep in thought. Whenever he was thinking deeply, planning something out, or memorizing a poem he mentally wrote, Yurushi would zone out. He could think like this when he was doing pretty much anything, but when he wasn't already doing something it looked like Yurushi's brain was out to lunch.

"Wait," Yurushi said suddenly as his mind had rejoined his body. "Naruto could join us for the afternoon."

"Yurushi," the brown eyed swordsman interjected. "I like your cousin and all, but he's just going to be a distraction. We've gotta get ready for our first C-Ranked mission, and sensei said we could use the extra practice."

"He's right," Hanami added. "That's the reason we agreed to train as a team today. Naruto isn't on the team. He'd just get in the way."

"I'm as good as you are," Naruto mumbled to himself. That won an elbow from his cousin as rebuke, and the daggers in the snowy haired genin's eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"What drills and exercises do we need to be working on?" Yurushi asked. That smirk, and the glint in those grayish orbes; Naruto had seen that look before. His cousin was up to something.

"Well," Hanami thought for a moment. "We should probably work on our tracking skills, and Sensei did say that he wanted us to work on setting up and avoiding ambushes. You and Kenshi still need to finish the tree climbing exercise too."

"Hey!" Kenshi glowered at his female cohort. "It's not our fault we haven't finished. Sensei had us try working on that for an hour _after_ every team meeting, and our chakra control isn't as good as yours. Besides, you only finished it yesterday so you can't lord it over us like that."

A small chorus of laughter came from his cousin's team. Naruto was grinning to himself. He couldn't wait for this. Having Yurushi around, knowing he had a real family, and finally knowing that at least some people care about him as a person was great. As he watched the squad interact he knew that he really wanted this too. The companionship, the closeness, and the bond shared between teammates. Iruka-sensei had told him that one's genin team was like a second family, and now that he was beginning to understand what having a family was like he wanted more of it.

"I assure you both," Yurushi said once the laughter had stopped, "Naruto has skills that would greatly help in our training today. I can't speak about them too openly, but if you both don't mind then Naruto really could help."

"How can he help?" Hanami asked bluntly with doubt displayed plainly.

"Let's just say that he knows one of the same tricks that Sensei does, and Naruto's better at it," Yurushi answered with a wild grin.

"What? No way!" Kenshi practically yelled in shock. Naruto was trying to figure out what kind of moves he had that might be better than a jōnin. He didn't know too many jutsu. A nice collection of other skills weren't exactly lacking, but better than a jōnin? They were supposed to be among the best. The blond was pretty confused as to what his cousin was talking about.

"I can't talk about it here," Yurushi answered. "Nevertheless, he would be able to help us out with the ambush exercises. Besides, even if he couldn't it would be better than just working by ourselves."

"Oh come on Hanami-chan!" Kenshi was practically hands and knees, begging the girl. "We just haveta see what he can do. We just haveta."

"Alright," Hanami relented as a rosy hue was growing across her face.

Naruto was literally jumping with his uncontained joy. Now he didn't have to train by himself, and he got to see first-hand what it was like to be in a real life team of ninja. The only way he could make this day any better was to somehow work Ichiraku's into the menu. Together, the team led the way and Naruto was hot on their heels. His cousin believed he could help, and thought he could do something better than a jōnin. Maybe, just maybe, all this time he had spent training and studying, and actually doing his schoolwork really was paying off. Only time would tell.

* * *

Moving through the trees was becoming easier and easier. The trail had almost gone cold, but she hadn't lost it since she had first discovered it. She was worried that the detour she had made would have meant losing track of the group all together. There she was, just getting ready to leave a shop, picking up some lunch for her mother, when that buffoon showed up.

Naruto was yelling and bothering a group of people who had been talking across the street. As much as she wanted to leave so she could study for the upcoming test, Sakura knew she couldn't. She had been stuck inside the dango shop until Naruto left. That blond blabber mouth would be pestering her the second he noticed her. So she watched and waited. It was strange to see him speaking to the group. She recognized two of them; the cute one with red hair was especially familiar. They had walked out when she had made her way into the shop. Naruto apparently knew the redheaded boy.

'_There's no way that guy is better than Sasuke-kun! He may be cute, but he's nowhere near as good!_' Sakura thought to herself as she adjusted her course slightly. The training areas within the village were expansive. Heavily wooded for the most part, but several training fields had a large variety of terrain so that teams could get in a more well-rounded practice.

She had to see them. On the surface, it was to prove that her Sasuke-kun was the best ninja she had ever seen. The way the red haired boy with the striking steel-blue eyes carried himself reminded her of Sasuke-kun. The way he interacted with his genin squad, she supposed since they were all wearing hitai-ate, was entirely different than the last of the Uchiha though. If the pig Ino caught her here, then she would admit this was her purpose, a simple comparison of skills.

Then there was the real reason. If the dumb blonde Yamanaka girl caught her here, then she would die five times over before admitting that this was what drove her to follow this group all the way out here. That reason was Naruto.

'_What did that guy mean when he said that Naruto knew something better than their Sensei did?_' Sakura thought to herself as she rested on a large branch. Scanning the ground she saw signs of recent activity, when meant that her targets were somewhere around here. Unless she had been tracking the entirely wrong group of four, then she should run into the squad soon.

The peak in her curiosity was enough to cause her to investigate further. So the second it was safe to leave the small dango shop, Sakura rushed home to deliver lunch. Then, her mother, made her stay and clean her room and do her homework. Normally, this was not an issue, but her mother's constant demands always came at the worst possible times. She tried to explain that time was of the essence, and even appealed to her father, but the results were the same. Two hours were lost, and it ate at her that she might not see what had become so special about Naruto.

'_Even if there is something special, or different, or cool about him it changes nothing!_' She thought as she saw signs of recent activity. Shuriken and kunai knives littered the ground in spots all around the earth below her. She knew she was on the right track, but hoped that she wasn't too late. '_It doesn't matter though, because he'll never be as great as Sasuke-kun!_'

Naruto, she had to admit, was improving on all accounts. He was still an idiot, but some of his idiocy was due to a lack of understanding social cues. His grades were now edging him closer and closer to the fiftieth percentile. It was nothing to write home about, but for Naruto, it was nothing to be ashamed of either. His taijutsu, while decent before, had been refined to the point where only a small handful of students could beat him in the class spars. His jutsu, however, was still in need of improvement. The blond still couldn't get the hang of the Bunshin no Jutsu.

The change wasn't entirely sudden, or drastic, but it was noticeable. The mystery as to what caused it lingered, and stuck in the back of Sakura's mind like moss clinging to an old rock. The moss spread over time, and the slow creeping annoyance of an unsolved mystery swept over her thoughts the past year until an opportunity unlike any other presented itself. She had never known Naruto to interact with others in any meaningful way. He had always been alone, and perhaps that would explain why he acts the way he does. The boy simply had no parents to keep him in line.

The fact that he was speaking so casually to people, and genin no less, caught her by surprise. As far as she knew the boy with the mischievous grin had no real friends, but she rarely paid attention to the kid's dealings. She much preferred to give her attentions to Sasuke-kun. '_He's just so cool and dreamy._'

Shaking her head slightly to bring her mind to the present, she kept moving to follow the trail left behind. Her skill as a tracker was basic at best, and largely by-the-book. She understood that she didn't have the depth of skill that a clan born ninja would have, but then again few people had her memory. She could remember just about everything that she had seen, heard, read, or said, and recite it with near perfect recall. It was the balance that she had to Ino's mind jutsu. Sakura was proud of the fact that her simple skill was all her and not reliant on some technique.

The sounds of metal clashing against metal were carried on a gentle breeze, and as the telltale signs of battle became more evident she slowed to find a place where she could observe without being spotted. The broad and radiant green of the forested canopy would be a perfect veil to cover her snooping. Finding a strong branch with just the right amount of cover and had just enough of a window, Sakura took her seat. From her perch she peered down on a clearing. In the opening, she saw a pair of individuals locked in combat.

It was a duel between the red haired genin and his brown haired teammate. Their movements were a contrast of one another, but it was impressive to watch. The brown haired boy kept his movements short and close to the body in a defensive style, but when he attacked it was with broad and powerful strikes. She had thought that the wide sweeping attacks would create too much an opening, but they were carefully timed which allowed him to react quickly and raise his guard. The red haired boy, again, reminded her of Sasuke-kun. His movements were so smooth and fluid. Whether he positioned his blade to block, shunting his opponent's straight edge, parried to create a short lived opening, striking or jabbing to test the other swordsman's guard, or even employing a subtle feint, each movement flowed gracefully into the next. It was as if he was gliding through the air, or moving with the winds.

She wished that her vantage point had been a bit closer so she could hear the conversation that was going on between them. It was probably nothing more than good natured ribbing, but it would give her a better understanding of the young genin. From what she had seen the kid was every bit Sasuke-kun's equal, not that she would ever admit that out loud. The rustle of the underbrush below her drew her attention to another fight that was taking place.

A streak of yellow and orange cut across the forest floor weaving its way through the trees in an effort to avoid pursuit. The pursuer was another streak to Sakura's eyes, but the color was of a white and a variant purple. With each change of direction the orange streak made a healthy mix of shuriken and kunai embed into a nearby tree. This fight was undoubtedly between Naruto and the girl of the genin team. Sakura couldn't help but feel as though she knew how this fight would end, but Naruto had changed quite a bit. '_I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, but I don't think he'll impress me very much._'

Watching as he dodged the well-aimed flying metal, she noted that Naruto's speed had improved greatly. Not nearly as fast as Sasuke-kun, but fast enough to keep out of trouble. He was running across the forest frantic, and his panic was evident in his movements and expressions. The blond wasn't even trying to counter attack right now, and he wasn't giving much thought to where he was going either.

From her vantage point, Sakura studied the trail Naruto was blazing and noticed that the trees got closer together where he was headed. Also, the brush was thick, and the terrain uneven. If he didn't turn around he would be working his way into a corner, and the third member of this unknown genin squad would win their little spar. The girl in question seemed to pick up on this fact as well. She dropped back to what may have been the limits of her range, and carefully threw her weapons in a way to direct Naruto's movement.

The mauve clad girl allowed her pace to become more languid, and that allowed the emerald eyes of Sakura to study her form. The drop in speed was to allow an increased concentration for more precision with her shuriken and kunai, but it was also because the girl was tiring out. Sweat beaded on her brow and her breaths were calmed gasps for air. Whatever Naruto had done before the curious Haruno had arrived worked for a while. If he hadn't started letting himself be corralled into a trap, then he might have won.

Finally, the inevitable happened. Naruto's pace and the uneven footing he was traversing had finally conquered him. Nearly tripping, the boy managed to catch himself with his hand and try to carry on, but by this point it was too late. Wire snaked its way around him, creating a barrier that he looked at in shock and wonder. To his credit, Sakura admitted, the orange clad boy tried to bring his hands into position so that he could form hand seals. '_Kawarimi?_' Sakura questioned to herself, _'Nice try Naruto, but you got the hand seals all wrong to use that technique. You might not be a total idiot all the time, but you are far from being a true genius like Sasuke-kun._'

The wire tightened in the blink of an eye. All the slack was gone and the poor blond was trapped, bound to the nearest tree. His hands were too far apart from one another to hope to use a jutsu to escape, and were nowhere near his kunai holster. The match was over.

"I finally got you," the white haired girl declared coolly as she landed a few meters away from Naruto's makeshift prison. "Yurushi was right, you're a lot better than I thought you'd be."

Naruto grinned at the compliment, "If you let me out I can show you just how good I really am."

"Not a chance ramen boy," the girl giggled. "I guess you _aren't_ as good as me after all, but you aren't bad. Good spar."

"It was a good round Hanami," Naruto said in what seemed to be a congratulatory surrender. "Maybe next time, you know?"

"Yeah," Hanami agreed as she moved in to make _the kill_. "Maybe after you become a genin and get good training with your jōnin-sensei, then you'll be a serious threat. Who knows, maybe you'll even beat me someday."

"Someday?" Naruto asked as Hanami pointed the kunai near his throat unthreateningly. "When I was talkin' about next time, I wasn't talkin' about me, you know."

Sakura was confused what her classmate could have meant, especially when that troublemaker's grin sprouted. He was in no position to win this match, but just then, another figure dropped down from the canopy above. It looked like Naruto, it moved like Naruto, and it dressed like Naruto. Still, there was no way that it could actually be Naruto. '_He didn't use the kawarimi, and that hand seal wasn't even a real one. How could he have done this?_'

"I was really talkin' about you," the body-double of Naruto said with a brazen confidence as he placed a kunai gently at the back of the neck of his opponent.

"But, when did you?" Hanami asked with an utter loss for words desperately searching for an explanation like Sakura had been. "How did you? I was watching you this whole time. You didn't make any just now. Ever since Kenshi-kun and I ambushed you I never gave you a chance."

"Right after we split up and I started running through the trees I hid behind one and made a Bunshin take my place," Naruto explained as a wild smile grew on his face. "Pretty good plan huh?"

'_Bunshin?_' Sakura stared in disbelief. There was no way that was a regular doppelganger. Illusions didn't interact with their environment, and that clone was still tied up. The blond had skills that he had hidden away, and Sakura was flabbergasted that he had kept this a secret. The only reason he hadn't graduated was because he couldn't perform the Bunshin no Jutsu, and here he had mastered some highly advanced variant. '_How did you do that Naruto? How strong are you?_'

"Don't you ever run out of chakra?" Hanami asked Naruto exasperated by the sudden revelation of her loss.

"I dunno," the blond answered thoughtfully as he holstered his kunai. The copy of the orange clad nuisance that was tied helplessly to the tree disappeared in a puff of smoke. "I never really tried to use it all before."

Sakura's mind was racing as the pair of ninja worked their way through the forest floor to return to the duel in the clearing. She had never seen Naruto in action before, and had no estimation of his skills beyond the classroom. The blond had proven that he could get one over a genin with relative ease. Clearly, she had misjudged the blue eyed annoyance most severely. He had not been lax in training his skills, and did not have a lack of skill, but had been hiding them. For what purpose, and for what reason, Sakura couldn't tell.

'_Naruto has a jutsu that lets him make a solid clone of himself and he hasn't talked about it, bragged about it, or shown off with it. Not even once. Where did he learn something like that anyway?_' Sakura was pushing theories, and eliminating impossibilities as the subjects of her observation were slipping out of earshot.

She decided that more research was needed in order to figure out just what Naruto had done, and returned her study to the four young ninja now gathered together. Again, from where she sat, there was no way to hear what was being said. She could sneak a little closer, but didn't want to risk discovery. Having seen all that she needed to see for the time being she prepared to leave. What more could be said, other than Naruto was not the same moron that he was in the years past.

'_He may still act like an idiot, and he's definitely not as cool as Sasuke-kun, but I won't underestimate his skill again,_' the pink haired preteen decided as she left to go home. She wasn't going to go out of her way to befriend the rascal, but she wasn't going to belittle, berate, or beat up on the kid. That is, unless he deserved it for doing something stupid. Naruto was hiding secrets, and if there was one thing that Sakura liked it was a good mystery.

* * *

Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, Naruto was excited. The work out was over and it was almost time for some ramen. He could almost smell the broth and hear Teuchi's laughter at his usual order on an endless supply of his favorite dish. Yurushi and the rest of his team were finishing up a quick conversation about some of their training exercises before they departed. It was a team thing, so the blond waited patiently. The better he behaved, the more likely Yurushi would comply with a visit to Ichiraku's.

'_He thinks he's so smart,_' Naruto thought to himself, '_bribing me with ramen like that. If I really wanted ramen then I'd just do whatever and get some anyways, but if I play his little games then he'll come with me. Ramen is so much better when shared._'

Goodbyes were exchanged and the redheaded sword slinger walked over towards him, looking plenty tired. "Let's go," he said.

"I'm hungry," Naruto declared almost pleading for the answer to his unasked question.

"Fine," Yurushi theatrically groaned, "let's go to Ichiraku's."

"Yeah! Alright! Miso ramen, here I come," the blond shouted with excitement.

He started to sprint to his favorite destination before he realized that his cousin was taking a much more relaxed pace. Not wanting to leave his family behind, Naruto stopped and rejoined Yurushi as they calmly walked to the much frequented restaurant.

"Naruto," Yurushi said getting the whiskered boys attention. "You did really well today."

"Do ya really think so?" Knowing that his cousin never gave praise lightly, Naruto knew the answer but wanted to be sure.

"Of course," Yurushi's response was calm and level. Yurushi himself was much the same. Rarely did he display an overflow of emotion. There was that odd and kind of scary moment the other night that his cousin still hadn't said anything about, but other than that Yurushi was pretty much in control. The redhead wasn't as shelled up as he used to be though. "I have only ever seen Sensei use twelve Kage Bunshin during a single training session, and he looked exhausted afterwards. You easily made three times that today."

"Wow!" Naruto marveled at that fact for a moment. "Does that mean that I'm just really good or that your Sensei is really bad?"

"Actually," Naruto didn't really care one way or the other. He was better with a technique than a jōnin was. Even though he knew that not every ninja knew every jutsu there was to know, but that simple fact had to count for something. "Hayate-Sensei is supposed to be one of the more prominent practitioners of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu in the village. He says that the technique is quite difficult to master, and trying to learn it when you aren't ready could get you killed."

Naruto couldn't help but feel a little odd about that one. People could die learning a move he practically mastered in a single afternoon. What made him so different? Why was he able to succeed where so many others failed? What was it that made him so special? '_Is that the reason why the villagers all hate me? Is that why they think I'm dangerous? Is this why they don't want me to be a ninja?_'

"I would say," Yurushi said, snapping Naruto from his quizzical thoughts. "That your talent with that particular skill shows that you have great potential. I think it means that you could be a great shinobi."

With a smile creeping up his face Naruto followed his cousin to their favorite dining place. Pangs of jealousy, tendrils of insecurity that were gripping his heart, and the fear of being left behind, all of these emotions that were born when Yurushi became a genin were slowly melting away. The unsettled attitude and restless desire to prove his worth had started to skew his vision of the only family he had. His cousin got to be a part of a real shinobi squad, and trained with his team, and went on missions. All of those things were no longer secretive points of contention. He wasn't being left behind or forgotten. His family believed in him, and for now, that was enough.

"Hey, um," Naruto broached carefully recalling what had just happened. "You're sure that Jiraiya-sensei won't count this against me right? I mean he said I wasn't supposed to use Kage Bunshin for training."

"You'll be fine," Yurushi answered quickly with no caution or concern. "Jiraiya-sensei said that _you_ couldn't tell anyone that you know the jutsu, and he also said that you couldn't use it when you were training _alone_. Since you were training with my team and I told them you could use it, then you didn't break the rules."

"If you say so," Naruto suspected the loophole wasn't as open as Yurushi thought it was, but his cousin sounded really confident. The blond just wanted to be sure that he wasn't missing out on a chance to learn a new technique.

The silence returned as Naruto strolled alongside his kin. The onset of dusk was a beautiful time of day in the village. The sweltering heat of high noon was waning as the sun was sinking below the horizon. There was nothing better than Konoha, and being with family made it even better. Though thoughts of the coming evening rattled through Naruto's head they always made their way back to the same point. Yurushi hovered over him, sword pointed at his face, fear rolling over him in waves, and the sudden shock that overcame his cousin's face. That was not a simple nightmare, and Naruto imagined that it wasn't the first time the young swordsman had that bad dream.

"Hey, um," the blond stopped when Yurushi's eyes shifted, putting his focus on him. This was a touchy subject, and he really didn't want to make his cousin mad. It could ruin the ramen. "About the other night-"

"Just drop it," the redhead scolded. "I'm sorry I scared you, but I don't want to talk about it."

"But I just wanted to-"

"I said drop it Naruto," his cousin interrupted harshly. "Just let it go."

The blond snapped his mouth shut. He really was concerned, but he decided to just do as his cousin asked and let the topic go. If Yurushi wanted to talk about it, then he'd start off that conversation. That is, if he ever wanted to talk about it. Sulking slightly as he walked, Naruto was disappointed that he may have ruined the flavor of ramen with the foul mood he had created.

* * *

The mission was a simple one. Barely a C-Rank by any stretch of the imagination, and it was only the prospect of combat that gave the mission such a designation. The problem itself was standard fare, and well within the capabilities of his genin. Hayate requested to be assigned this mission specifically. There was something that he wanted to test, and the results would determine what focus he wanted his squad to have.

A farmer had come to Konoha, representing himself and five other victims who had recently discovered that livestock had been stolen from them. The lush and rich valleys were fed by the tributaries that flowed into Kawa no Kuni. What those mighty currents had done to the landscape over the eons had left it perfect for farming rice, and many of the families that farmed that land had done so for generations. The numerous farms along the western boarder were largely meant for the crop, but the farmers relied on livestock so their families could eat.

The man that they were now escorting was in his early fifties and talked ceaselessly about how difficult the season had been, how he had pulled several tricks to save large portions of his crop, and how the approaching harvest should be a good one. Hayate wasn't sure if the man was putting on airs in an effort to impress or if he was just that chatty. Not that it mattered much either way; this client was of the utmost importance.

Farmers from this particular region grow much of the rice that Konoha consumes. They held a critical importance to the military efforts of the village and the nation as a whole. If any farmer from Hi no Kuni requests a mission the Hokage sees that it is dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Any minor inconvenience to the daily lives of the men and women responsible for growing the food could lead to a major crisis later on. Shinobi couldn't fight on an empty stomach, and a village like Konoha was far from self-sufficient. They relied upon their fellow countrymen to supply their needs, just as the farmers relied on shinobi for protection. It was the give and take of modern civilization.

"So how do you plan on catching the thief Shinobi-sama?" The graying farmer asked as they followed the bend of the dirt trail.

"Hayate is fine Junji-san," he corrected warmly. "I was actually planning on letting my students take the lead on this assignment."

"What? Really Sensei?" Kenshi blurted in shock.

"Not to sound rude, but are you sure that's wise," Junji questioned. "I mean, they're kids. Do they have much experience with this sort of thing?"

"I've been teaching them for a while now, and I believe they're capable," he confirmed. "Besides, I'll be watching very carefully to make sure the job gets done."

"Well, I guess I'll leave it to you then," the old farmer shrugged. That was far too easy. Hayate had expected a little more fight out of the man, but perhaps he wasn't nearly as skeptical as he first sounded. He was glad the man was compliant. This mission was a good opportunity for his students to learn the ropes. Sooner or later they'd have to figure these things out themselves, and a simple mission like this was perfect.

"What exactly has been stolen Junji-san?" Yurushi spoke up. He hadn't made a sound since they left the village, but now that he's been given the lead he has to step up. Hayate grinned; he had been hoping to get the redhead to take more of a leadership role in the group. He had a level head and had sharp instincts. Two things a decent leader needed.

"I've lost two goats and a pig, but my neighbors have lost more than that," the farmer recounted. "I've heard someone say that they lost a couple calves."

"Why would people steal animals?" Kenshi pondered. "Seems like kind of a dumb thing to take."

"I wondered that myself, but my neighbor's son went to a village to order some seed for the next season and he swears that he saw people selling one of my pigs that had been stolen," Junji answered.

"So they're stealing from the farmers and selling to other people? That's horrible!" Hanami proclaimed with concern. Hayate was proud of the girl's steady growth. She had several successes in training and in the D-Ranked missions that the team had been assigned. The confidence that she had in her own skills was bolstered each time she got a win. The early success helped her to overcome her axiety. He knew that he would need to teach her how to cope with failure, but right now he was enjoying watching her blossom as a promising kunoichi.

"Farmers from other villages are the ones our livestock are being sold to," the farmer growled. "These guys know what they're doing. We don't go too far out for supplies and we can't seem to stop them ourselves; that's why we need your help."

"You said _these guys_," Yurushi interjected. "Are you saying that there is more than one thief?"

"Son, have you ever tried to catch a frightened pig?" Junji asked with a chuckle. The boy shook his head in the negative. "It can be damn near impossible to do by yourself."

"Wouldn't you notice a bunch of people walking around your house late at night?" Kenshi asked. Blunt as ever, but it was a fair question. The Muramasa boy was also growing quite well. His skills with a blade were becoming less sporadic and more defined as he settled into a style of kenjutsu that fit him. Hayate needed to check and see if his clan had any techniques of their own, and if not he would pass his techniques down to the boy.

"They don't do it at night," the weathered man corrected. "They hide just out of sight and wait until we're all busy in the fields during the day. They move so fast. It's gotten to the point where I have to have someone keep an eye on the livestock I have left."

"I don't guess you know who's doing it then?" Yurushi asked knowingly as Junji denied. He was probably hoping for a direct confrontation. Find out who it is, go to where they are, and take back what was stolen. It was a simple, upfront, and honest approach to serving justice. '_How very much like a samurai Yurushi,_' Hayate chided mentally. '_The direct approach won't work here. Start thinking like a shinobi!_'

"How many people know you came to Konoha to hire ninja?" Yurushi asked. The furrowed brow was a good sign. The kid was working on something.

"Just my family," the farmer answered. "I went with my son into town and see if I could buy a new goat so we could have milk again, but on the way there I decided to just keep walking and get a shinobi. I sent my son home and I walked to Konoha. Buying a goat won't do any good if these bastards are just going to steal it from me."

"Good," the redhead seemed pleased with what he heard. "When we get back tell all of your neighbors that you bought that goat."

"Umm, Yurushi," Hanami spoke up quizzical about what the plan was. "He doesn't actually have a goat so why do you want him to say that?"

"We'll just be spreading a rumor," Yurushi returned. "One of us will pose as a goat."

"Oh, I get it!" Kenshi perked up with excitement. "We'll be the bait and catch the thieves in the act. Sounds like a nice plan Yurushi!"

"Yeah, that should work great!" Hanami concurred.

Hayate quirked an eyebrow. The immediate thought was to stage an ambush. He had them train so they could learn how an ambush works and methods to guard against it, but perhaps this could be the focus for the squad. Every ninja knows the basics, but specialization in something was a different game. Just like tracking, assault, or infiltration, it takes a group of individuals with very particular skill sets for a squad to have a particular specializations. The ambush required the members to have a combat focus, but there also had to be some proficiency in tracking and stealth. If this was his team's natural inclination, then he'd train them for it.

"You guys are thinking too small," Yurushi lectured. "We let the thieves lead us to the heart of the group driving this and we shut it down at the source."

"What makes you think that this is bigger than some low life thieves?" Junji questioned with clear irritation.

"Actually," Hayate spoke up. "I think he may be on to something. Someone could be buying the animals from the thieves and reselling them in other towns. It could be small time crooks, but it wouldn't hurt to check if there is something bigger going on. After all, if we don't take out the source of the problem then it will only come back later. Nice work Yurushi, that's thinking like a shinobi."

The boy bristled at the praise, and the tired jōnin could only roll his eyes. The kid still struggled with the idea of being a ninja, but the right changes were taking place. After months of training, lessons, and missions, Uzumaki Yurushi was starting to hold the right mindset for the job he accepted. No matter how much Yurushi resisted or how much he might dislike it, the boy was finally becoming a ninja.


	11. Graduation Day

**Chapter 11: Graduation Day**

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

* * *

Eyes flew open at the sudden realization that morning had come. Today was the long awaited day. Naruto sat up and stretched. Peering outside he could see his home and in the bright morning light he could see everything from the window. Konohagakure was a place of peace amidst war, light dancing with shadows, and a source of hope that defied despair. This was his home, and in the face of the silent hate that lined the streets below his window, he loved it dearly. Konohagakure was not just his home, but also the home of his family.

Standing up and stretching again he thought about the word. Family was still something that amazed him. After nine years of life alone the idea of having a real family had almost escaped the realm of possibility. Now, after only a couple of years living with Yurushi, the blond found the notion of being without his cousin detestable. Family just made life more fun, exciting, and bearable.

"Today," Naruto said to no one in particular as he watched the morning crowds begin their errands. "Today I will become a ninja."

Dressing and gathering his equipment, the blond began to mentally review everything that he tried to study last night. He was going to stay up and cram for the written portion of the test, but Yurushi put a stop to that. His cousin stated that sleep was necessary for him to perform well, and made sure that the youthful deviant didn't stay up too late. Stepping out of his room he could smell breakfast.

'_Ramen?'_ Naruto thought as he paused to sniff at the air. He didn't think that he had that right, but as his olfactory kicked into overdrive his mouth began to water. '_No way! Ramen for breakfast! Yurushi said he didn't know how to make ramen_!'

Rushing to the small eat-in kitchen Naruto noticed the pot on the stove. The broth and noodles were settled into a low simmer, but there was no sign of his cousin around. Grabbing an empty bowl from a cupboard Naruto filled it to the brim with his cousin's most glorious creation. Unable to wait he began sipping at the broth as he searched for chopsticks and began to compare Yurushi's ramen to that of Ichiraku's. It was an unfair comparison. Ramen Ichiraku had been blessed by Kami with the power to make perfect noodles decades before either of the Uzumaki kids had been born. Still, Yurushi wasn't a bad chef. Noodles weren't his specialty, but it was clear that the numerous trips made to their favorite ramen stand had given him a few pointers.

Chopsticks now in hand, Naruto sat at the table. After making his required pre-ramen rituals, he noticed the note left behind. It was in Yurushi's hand writing and addressed to him. '_I wonder what this is about,_' Naruto wondered to himself. Considering the possible importance of the message, the whisker faced boy placed his chopsticks down and read the memo.

_Naruto,_

_ I'm sorry I couldn't see you off today, but I had to leave. I'll be out of the village on a mission for a while. Sensei said that it was a missing person's case, and he believes that we'll be back after a couple of weeks. He did say that this type of mission was touch and go. We could be gone for weeks, or days, or a month, but it was all dependent on the details of the case. When I get back then we'll celebrate you becoming a genin properly, but until then good luck. I made some ramen for you, and you know where the money for groceries is kept. Try not to burn the place down while I'm gone. Heed your Sensei, protect your comrades, and put the team's needs above your own, but take nothing at face value. I'll see you later._

Resuming his meal, Naruto was glad. His cousin believed in him. It was a total confidence that Yurushi had, and it warmed his heart to think about. There was no talk of failure, but advice to be followed after he passed the exam. Although, he decided to look up the definition to the word _heed_ sometime later. He was kind of curious as to why he shouldn't take anything at face value. It might have to do with his cousin's constant complaints about misdirection coming from his Sensei, but he shrugged it off. He'd figure it out later; right now there was ramen. Greedily, the blond gobbled down his meal and rushed through seconds. The calm assurance that someone was supporting him soothed the soul in similar a fashion that the broth soothed hunger. He wouldn't let his cousin down.

Placing the now empty bowl in the sink to be washed later, Naruto walked out the door to go to the Academy. Passing the exam today was more than a goal, and more than the first step to achieving a dream. It was proof. Proof that he was capable, proof that he had value to the village, and proof to both himself and his naysayers that he was not doomed to be a failure. Today was the first day of a new direction to his life. This was where the self-doubt was forever laid to rest.

Walking out into the open street he took in a deep breath. People were staring, as if they knew what could happen. It no longer phased him. Their hatred, their anger, and their hushed words no longer mattered. He was not alone, and nothing they could do would make him feel that way ever again. Travelling down the street toward his destination Naruto considered that today would mark the beginning of a new era in the village as well. This was where they could no longer look down upon him, but would have look up to him. After he passed the test he'd be a genin. He'd be an honest to goodness shinobi, and that was something that nobody would be able to ignore.

Each step toward the Academy resounded in his heart. It was heralding the coming change to the village. History itself was about to be made, and he could feel the endless anticipation welling up and overflowing. Today, Uzumaki Naruto would become a shinobi of Konohagakure.

* * *

The room was empty. Patiently he waited. It would prove to be an interesting day. Mizuki had a familiarity with most of Iruka's class, and already determined just who was going to pass and who was going to fail. It wasn't that the results were rigged, but Mizuki had a firm grasp and a healthy suspicion of the capabilities for most of Iruka's students.

There were a few who would make today interesting. Those few were the ones that Mizuki was on the fence about. One of the more noteworthy ones was an Uzumaki Naruto. His curiosity concerning the boy was a mystery, and he didn't quite understand it. He thought that it could be an interest in comparing the blond blunder to his genius cousin. While Iruka had said that Naruto made vast improvements, Mizuki's real intrigue developed when he overheard Yurushi speaking quite highly of his cousin's ability.

The door slid open and his long-time friend, Umino Iruka walked in. The scar that crossed the bridge of his nose gave a distinct look and was something which spoke of hard learned experience. Mizuki remembered the story of how his fellow instructor gained the scar, and he also remembered that it was the reason Iruka had joined the Academy. Some people weren't cut out for life in the field. '_Frankly, I don't think I'm really cut out for this place,_' Mizuki thought as Iruka placed a clipboard on the table directly in front of where he sat.

"This is the order we'll be following for the ninjutsu portion of the exam," Iruka declared. Mizuki scanned the list and noted where the students he most wanted to see lined up.

"Naruto's going first eh," Mizuki quipped. "You're really eager to squash his dreams aren't you?"

"Funny Mizuki," the brown haired teacher replied with flat sarcasm. "I'll have you know that I believe Naruto can graduate this year."

"Well, I hope he does," Mizuki returned honestly. He wasn't sure why he felt that way, but he was looking forward to the kid's performance nevertheless. "But I'm not going to hold my breath either."

"He's been working really hard and I think that he'll do it this year," his friend declared in wishful thought.

"I guess that depends on how well the boy can perform the Bunshin no Jutsu then," Mizuki thought out loud. "Unless, that is, he aced the written and the other performance portions of the test."

"Umm," Iruka's lack of a true reply removed that possibility. "I guess I'll go get him."

A wry smile crept to his face as he returned to waiting patiently. A blanket comparison of the two Uzumaki didn't seem to fully explain his fascination with the blond. It went deeper, an almost instinctual interest. Likely, Mizuki figured, it had to do with what lie dormant within. Perhaps, it was fear of what rested beneath the child's skin, or a fear that the boy could someday control such power. Either way, it wasn't healthy. As Naruto advanced toward a career as a ninja, his interest was only growing. This caused nothing but confusion, since he really couldn't care less about the kid, or kids in general.

'_I need to leave this place. I need to escape from these walls. They're stifling, and it's driving me mad,_' the long haired chūnin thought as the door slid open again. Iruka took his seat to Mizuki's right, and Naruto stood anxiously in front of his teachers. '_Four months. That's all, just four months. After this school year is finally over I'll train fulltime and take a few C-Ranked missions, just to get back into the swing of things. Then in four months I'll take the Jōnin Exams, and leave the Academy behind for good._'

"Alright Naruto," Iruka said as he cleared his throat. "You'll be performing the Bunshin no Jutsu, and if you can use the technique effectively, then you will become a ninja."

"You, um, ah, well, you just want to see the Bunshin no Jutsu?" Naruto stumbled through his question as a nervous sweat broke out on his face.

"Yes," Iruka answered. "Just the Bunshin no Jutsu, and then your test will be over."

"You, um, didn't want to see anything else?" The blond fumbled.

"No Naruto, that's all," Iruka confirmed .

"Just the plain ol' Bunshin?" Naruto asked again.

"Yes Naruto," Iruka answered his voice showing his rising agitation. "Just do the jutsu already and quit stalling for time."

'_Plain ol' Bunshin? I wonder,_' Mizuki thought as Naruto rehearsed his hand seals. The air became tainted with chakra as the boy built up the power necessary to use the technique, far too much power Mizuki noticed. The Bunshin no Jutsu had been Naruto's bane in his last examination, but perhaps things would be different this time. Iruka looked hopeful as Mizuki looked out of the corner of his eye. Naruto's ability to mold his chakra felt like it was more refined, and better practiced. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke erupted from where the blond was standing, signifying the use of his technique.

The smoke cleared and it revealed just what Mizuki had suspected it would. On the floor, at Naruto's side, an illusionary clone of the boy lay in a heap. It looked sickly, and utterly worthless. Naruto had failed, and everyone in the room knew it.

"Naruto," Iruka began slowly. "I want you to know that I'm proud of how well you did this year. Your improvements in class showed that you have a real desire to become an excellent shinobi. However, I cannot pass you this year."

"But, I, I," Naruto stuttered as a slight sniffle was added to his voice. "I can't let him down. I just can't!"

"Iruka," Mizuki spoke quietly to get his friend's attention. He didn't want to get Naruto's hopes up by allowing him to overhear something, but the look on the boy's face seemed to prove that he was listening eagerly. "It is his last year, and he did technically create a bunshin. Couldn't you pass him and let his Sensei fill in the gap?"

"I can't," Iruka whispered back. "As much as I would like to I just can't. If Naruto can't use such a critical skill then he'll only be a burden to both his genin team and his Sensei. The lives of his comrades or clients could rely on his ability to successfully use the Bunshin no Jutsu. Besides, that technique is the foundation by which a ninja learns variant bunshin techniques."

"Rock Lee was allowed to pass and he couldn't use jutsu at all," Mizuki whispered.

"Lee was a special case, and permissions were granted by Hokage-sama," Iruka answered pointedly. "Hokage-sama didn't give Naruto any special treatment. You know that."

"I know," Mizuki replied with a smirk. "But what if he already knew a more advanced form of the Bunshin no Jutsu? Would he be allowed to pass then?"

"Don't be absurd Mizuki," Iruka scoffed. "How would an Academy student be able to use such advanced techniques, and where could they learn-"

Iruka's sudden stop in his sentence was by no means an accident. The man had recalled something, and was considering the possibility that the boy knew a jutsu that was far beyond his classmates' abilities. While not entirely a surprise for Mizuki, considering he was working off a hunch that it was true, it would still be surprising if the kid actually knew something more advanced.

"Naruto," Iruka spoke tentatively "after speaking with Mizuki I have a question, and I'll need an honest answer before I decide what to do. Will you answer with complete honesty?"

The blond nodded fiercely, but his face simply showed that he was utterly lost. Still, there was hope, and Naruto was sure to take whatever break that would be given. The way the boy had asked if the Academy technique was the only thing Iruka wanted to see just vexed him to no end. It didn't seem as if the child was asking for clarification, but rather a reason to do something different. Mizuki felt compelled, almost forced, to flesh out the full truth. He simply had to know if there was more to the boy with the whisker marks than what his reputation had garnered.

"Do you know a different kind of bunshin jutsu?" Iruka asked with a twinge of hope present in his voice, and Naruto again nodded in the affirmative. Mizuki didn't care one way or the other, but his friend really wanted the young Uzumaki to pass. Iruka saw himself in the kid. He saw a boy who wanted to be recognized for something meaningful, a child who longed to be included, and a student who had something to prove. Mizuki wasn't certain what he thought of Naruto. Feelings were mixed at the moment. It was difficult to separate him from the attack of the Kyūbi no Yōko, but after his multiple discussions with Iruka and keeping an eye on the boy's progress it was easier to see that the blond was not a demon.

"Well, let's see it then," Iruka said relenting on his previous position of failure, likely with far more pleasure then he was letting on.

Naruto took a deep breath to calm his nerves and placed his index and middle fingers into a cross shaped seal. "No," Mizuki muttered under his breath, "it can't be."

Sharply, Naruto built up a large amount of chakra. Unlike his previous attempt, the chakra was used almost immediately, and from what Mizuki could sense it was done with the ease of a well-oiled machine. Smoke erupted from where Naruto stood again signifying he had used his technique, but things were different this time around. When the smoke cleared, not one, not two, but five body doubles stood amongst the original. All of them looked rather satisfied with their performance, but unsure of what it all meant.

"I don't believe it," Iruka half chuckled. "Naruto, do have any idea what technique you've just used?"

Naruto again, answered with a nod of the head. Rather uncharacteristic of the boy to not be shouting every time his mouth opened, but Mizuki over looked it for now. The boy had just successfully used the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu and didn't look to be phased in the least. Creating five of the solid clones was the limit of most Jōnin who have learned the technique, and this boy matched that limit in one go and seemed to be capable of more. While prolifically taught in the upper echelons of the village, the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was labeled forbidden to prevent kids like Naruto from killing themselves while trying to learn it.

"Tell me then," Iruka ordered calmly. "What jutsu did you just use and where did you learn it?"

"Um, just a second," Naruto answered as his clones huddled around him and the blond literally debated with himself. Quite the surreal moment, but Mizuki rolled his eyes figuring that only Naruto would use his clones for something as ridiculous as thinking out loud. "Does this make me a genin?" Naruto asked as he returned to the front of his self-made crowd.

"Well, yeah, I see no reason why you wouldn't be at this point, but I need you to answer my question before I can give you your hitai-ate," Iruka mulled over his answer. There really wasn't a reason to fail him anymore.

"Alright! We did it!" The chorus of cheers rang out from the gang of blond preteens.

Mizuki glanced over Naruto's test results thus far and his grades and the boy celebrated. Quickly doing the mental math, using the Kage Bunshin performance, Mizuki determined that it seemed mathematically impossible for the boy to graduate anything less than third from the bottom of the class. That of course was entirely dependent on who passed, who failed, and the test results of all the other graduates.

"I learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu from Jiraiya-sensei," Naruto answered after finally being settled down by Iruka.

Mizuki was flabbergasted. The blue eyed kid dispelled his clones completely unaware of the astonishment, and acting as though being taught by a living legend was an everyday occurrence. The chūnin instructor was in a state of complete and utter shock. '_Jiraiya? The Jiraiya? Jiraiya of the Sannin, Jiraiya? Taught him? That's insane?_'

"I thought as much," Iruka said as he grabbed one of the hitai-ate that had been arranged on the table. Walking over toward the ecstatic young blond Iruka kneeled down, and began to tie the cloth around the boy's head so the gleaming metal rested over his forehead. After tying the final knot he rested his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Naruto, I am pleased to officially name you a ninja of Konohagakure no Sato," Iruka announced to the bewhiskered boy. The blond's smile threatened to split his face in half.

"I knew you could do it," Iruka added while tousling Naruto's hair. "Make me proud okay?"

"You betchya Iruka-sensei," Naruto shouted as Iruka ushered the boy out of the room.

As the door clanged shut ending the exam for the day's first student. Naruto had proven to be quite the entertaining exam. Few others would likely be as shocking. Iruka walked back over to the table and jotted down Naruto's final scores, using the Kage Bunshin results. The itch of curiosity was satisfied for the moment, and now he began thinking about what all of this meant. Rationality returned as he pondered exactly how what had just taken place was even possible. None of the likely scenarios brought any peace of mind.

"Iruka," Mizuki finally spoke up. "Doesn't it worry you that he knows the Kage Bunshin?"

Iruka stopped writing and touched his pencil's eraser to his lips in thought. "Now that you mention it, I guess it concerns me a bit. Although, Jiraiya-sama was the one to teach him, so he was well supervised. I doubt Jiraiya-sama would have taught him if he wasn't capable."

"Who taught him doesn't bother me," Mizuki answered slightly perturbed that Iruka wasn't getting it. "The fact that he can _use_ the jutsu is what bothers me."

"I don't understand what you mean," Iruka responded. Mizuki buried his face in his palms for a moment. Iruka just didn't understand the implications here.

"It isn't possible," Mizuki began slowly. "A genin just doesn't have the chakra reserves to use a jutsu like that. Not even an Uzumaki. Yurushi was never capable of anything like that, and I know his chakra reserves were far beyond anything normal for his age. You're a sensory type you had to notice. Naruto's chakra reserves aren't just abnormal, they aren't human!"

"Quiet Mizuki!" Iruka interrupted harshly. "You know the law."

"Yes," Mizuki confirmed. It was illegal to speak openly of Naruto's connection to the Kyūbi around the younger generations, and harsh punishments were doled out to those who ignored the rule. Dozens of people had lost their livelihoods because they tried to treat the young Uzumaki poorly, and most of those people had spent years in prison. "Still, there is no way that Naruto was capable of something like that all by himself."

"Mizuki, I know what you are worried about," Iruka responded calmly as he grabbed his clipboard and walked toward the door. "Like you said, I'm a sensory type ninja, and I didn't sense anything other than Naruto's chakra just now. There isn't anything to worry about."

Mizuki raised a hand and opened his mouth to object, but he could find no objection. Iruka was right. The chakra the Naruto had been using was nothing like what he had felt simply being in the shadow of the great demon. There was nothing ominous, no threat, and no sensations of impending doom, it was just an impossibly large amount of chakra. Iruka left to fetch the next student. After glancing at the list Mizuki moaned. Nara Shikamaru was up next, and if the boy was still as lethargic as he remembered the kid to be, then he would be waiting for twenty minutes.

Deciding to do something constructive, the teacher reached into his pack and drew a journal from its contents. The well-worn cover felt comforting in his palm and he grabbed a pen. His hands worked through a few hand seals and a small burst of chakra disabled the seals that protected his journal from prying eyes. It was a childish thing for a grown man to keep a journal, and a bit unnecessary considering he possessed an eidetic memory, but it was a sentimental thing. His parents had given him the journal when he first entered the Academy, and even taught him the sealing technique to protect it.

Over the years he had filled the journal with his thoughts, accomplishments, dreams, desires, and a variety of other moments in his life. His father, to whom he had been incredibly close, died on mission sometime after Mizuki became a chūnin. It was a shock he would never get over. Even now he had moments where he instinctually thought of sharing something with his father only to remember what happened. Now the man he had idolized would never know how far he had come. His parents were big wigs in the Academy program, but after his father's death, his mother was never the same. It was a slow decline. As the years wore on she broke down and had to be institutionalized for her own safety. Through it all, it helped to write things in the journal. His parents always said that it was important to share thoughts with someone, even if it was just an empty page.

Flipping through the yellowing pages he could see several notes on his life. The untimely death of his father was highlighted extensively, as was his mother's mental fragility. The moment he first met Tsubaki was featured, and several pages on the time they had spent together cultivating a relationship. His advancement in the Academy was prominent, along with several notes of students that had impressed him. The more recent the entries the stranger things became. He noted having several strange dreams, wrote about the frustrations of feeling trapped in the Academy, mentioned a strong desire for greater power, and even had several entries concerning Naruto.

Focusing on the spattering of sentences that were devoted to the blond he began to notice something. All of the entries were about Naruto's actions, his skills, his growth or lack thereof, the children he associated with, and even the emotional reactions the boy had. The notes were brief, scattered, but held a startling consistency. They formed a sort of pattern in their content, and when he strung them all together in his head, Mizuki realized something. When brought together, his various notes on the blond wild child formed an ever evolving dossier. It was troublesome.

Finding an empty page, Mizuki grasped his pen and jotted down a brief entry. He wrote about his personal training in preparation for the Jōnin Examinations. He noted the areas that would likely need improvement and the skills that would get him noticed. Then, just when he thought he was done, he absentmindedly jotted down a summary of Naruto's examination. He habitually closed the book, and performed the jutsu to seal its contents.

The realization of all he just wrote struck at is thoughts as a hammer shaping metal. For him to write about his students in general would be understandable, to focus on one in particular could be explained. To write so extensively about a boy who wasn't even in his class was obsessive. He didn't even like Naruto. Iruka was fond of the boy, and after all their lunch-time meetings he understood why. Still, just because Iruka spoke highly of the kid didn't make the blond any less of a nuisance.

Staring blankly at the designs of the seal that graced his note book he traced the curves and dips the ink left behind. It was graceful, and flowing, as a feather carried on a breeze the lines moved. One into another the design spread across the leather bindings. He opened the book to trace the designs to the inside cover, and saw the once filled pages now empty. His father had explained that the seal doesn't keep the book closed, but hides away what was written. Remembering fondly the day he had brushed the patterns on the journal he began to study his old work. It was shoddy by the standards he would judge himself by today. He was far from an expert in fūinjutsu, but even he could see his father's guiding hand in places.

A critical eye scanned the swirls and the characters of the calligraphically altered book when he realized something interesting. He had never seen a seal design like this before. Konoha's fūinjutsu style was largely derived from the extensive writings of the Nidaime Hokage. While the Yondaime was said to be a true master on the art, Jiraiya kept most of what the late Hokage had written away from the village at large. Clearly, whatever techniques had been developed were far too powerful to leave with even the ANBU. Still, the seal on his journal was nothing like that which had been taught in Konoha.

Putting the leather bound notebook away for now, Mizuki turned to see Iruka walk through the door literally dragging an unenthused Shikamaru behind him. '_After this is over I'll see if I can speak with Hokage-sama about all of this. I'm sure he'll want to know,_' Mizuki noted as he braced himself for the rest of the examination day.

* * *

It had been a calm afternoon for one Sarutobi Hiruzen. The regular meeting and tea with his old teammates was rather uneventful. It was mostly a discussion on preliminary plans for the upcoming Chūnin Exams, and an update about a few incidences at the northern border. Now he was watching the sun set over the village, and reading files on the Academy's graduating class.

The creation of new genin teams was one of his favorite duties as the Hokage. It brought nothing but joy to see such promising young students rise out of the halls of the school and step into the role of shinobi. It was the Will of Fire in action, and it warmed the soul to see such youthful passions harnessed for the good of the village. The roster for this particular graduating class was something of the who's who of the next generation. Many of the names belonged to the heads of prominent ninja clans within the village. But there was one name in particular that Hiruzen was excited to see.

Second from the bottom of his list was Uzumaki Naruto. The boy had graduated all on his own merits, and with some style according to Iruka. It was unpredicted by the elderly leader, for Naruto to be able to utilize a jōnin level skill. Even more so, was the surprise that Naruto had kept his little secret for over two years. The only ones in the village who were privy to Naruto's secret training session were himself, Yurushi, and Iruka. Perhaps Yurushi's genin team was aware of the results, since Naruto had spent several weekends training with the now _veteran_ Team Thirteen.

Hiruzen wasn't too terribly surprised when the past two Chūnin Exams had come and gone without Hayate's recommendation to enter his team into the exam. The chance of being promoted was drastically higher if a team had spent at least a year together, but more importantly so were the chances of survival. While each exam was different, at their core they were all the same. The first two parts of the test were team oriented, one was a more subtle method of exam, and the other was a more _mission styled_ test. The final part was always a tournament, where skills and abilities could be displayed on an individual basis. Even though Naruto's cousin had yet to partake in the Exams, something told him that Team Thirteen would be entered this time around. The village hosting always boasted the most entries and teams would often be entered just to gain experience.

The sky was burning, and its warmth was fading into night. The passing of the day caused the Hokage to turn his mind to tomorrow. Tomorrow the graduates would be registered as official ninja, and he would take requests from the jōnin serving as Sensei as to whom they would like to teach. Some decisions were out of their hands though. Nara Shikamaru, for example, had been ranked last amongst the graduates. While tradition was to place the first ranked boy, the first ranked girl, and the last ranked overall on the same team, traditions would be broken this year. The Nara clan had strong ties with the Akimichi clan and the Yamanaka clan. Any time that young members from each of those clans were in the same graduating class, they were teamed together. The clans had requested it be this way when the Academy was founded. It was a request that was honored due to the threat that three major clans wouldn't support the Academy otherwise.

If Shikamaru was even a fraction as intelligent as his father, then the boy had known that. When the child saw Naruto buckling down and trying harder to succeed in the classroom it likely gave the lazy Nara the green light to slack off more. Hiruzen imagined that Shikamaru knew what team he would be placed on no matter where he graduated, so he knew that all he had to do was pass and nothing more. The old man chuckled at the idea. Shikamaru had to be as brilliant as his father, because only a genius would work so hard at not working at all.

"Just like his father," Hiruzen said to himself as he grouped Nara Shikamaru with Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chōji. The Hokage hoped that his son would volunteer to take this team as his own. His son's personality should help the lazy Nara find motivation without too much pressure, the timid Akimichi find confidence, and the over the top Yamanaka calm down. It would also help Asuma to bolster a genuine sense of duty and patriotism. Ever since his son's return to Konoha, the man was jaded. A genin team could help give new life to the fervor Asuma once had.

This brought him to the last of his tentative roster. The last three names formed the not so traditional group. The rookie of the year, Uchiha Sasuke, the top kunoichi, Haruno Sakura, and last but certainly not least Uzumaki Naruto would together form a team. Their Sensei would be Hatake Kakashi, whether he wanted the job or not. Kakashi possessed the only Sharingan eye in the village, and that eye was the power of the Uchiha. Should Sasuke awaken his, then Kakashi was the only one who could properly train him. Uzumaki Naruto, on the other hand, was the only reason the former ANBU Captain even chose to teach at all. Therefore, if the blond wasn't placed on Kakashi's team then the man would quit teaching.

Haruno Sakura was the girl in the middle, so to speak. She was not part of a prominent clan, and had no family background in the world of shinobi. Still, with her scores it was easy to see that there was great amount of untapped potential. Hiruzen could only hope that there would be no major issues concerning Sasuke. The boy had been an unknown since the massacre of his family, and no one was certain how things would work out. Kakashi was to be insurance against most mishaps, but too many distractions would mean that his attentions would be unequally divided. Jiraiya would eventually return to train Naruto, but that would leave Sakura as the true victim.

Thoughts of Jiraiya reminded Hiruzen that soon he would need to speak privately with Naruto. The boy needed to know the truth. It would only be a matter of time before he learns, and he would prefer to be the one to tell him. If the boy hated anyone for what was done to him, Hiruzen would rather he be the one to bear that hatred. No matter what happened afterwards, it was his duty and his promise to tell Naruto the truth.

"Better wounds from a friend I suppose," Hiruzen reasoned to himself.

A light rap on the door brought his mind out of his musings, and he ushered the person on the other side to come in. The familiar face of Mizuki stepped through the door as it opened, and he closed it behind him.

"Hokage-sama," the Academy instructor addressed him with a bow. "I am sorry to interrupt, but I was hoping to speak with you."

"Of course Mizuki," Hiruzen answered warmly as he set his notes aside for the moment. "I can always spare a moment to one of the greatest instructors at the Academy."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Mizuki responded with another bow. The man had a sterling reputation, and his career was equally as impressive. Hiruzen had been floored when Mizuki had approached him about teaching at the Academy, but accepted it just the same. The man had the potential to become a jōnin of some prominence, but the old leader had imagined that he just wanted to follow in his parents footsteps.

"Before you start," the shrewd old weasel inside Hiruzen caught the young man's attention. "Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay in the Academy? I would have a hard time replacing someone like you."

"I'm afraid it is time for me to leave the teaching to Iruka, Hokage-sama," Mizuki answered.

"I was afraid of that," Sarutobi frowned. Replacing Mizuki would be difficult, but Iruka had promised that his friend and colleague was leaving on good terms. "Now, what would you like to discuss?"

"To put it bluntly," Mizuki began, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Ah," Hiruzen could have guessed. Iruka's description of events made quite an impression on both of the instructors. Iruka was glad, but Mizuki suspicious, and for good reason on both accounts.

"I can't help but worry that his power may be a result of the," Mizuki hesitated to finish his thought.

"A result of the Kyūbi's influence on the boy?" Hiruzen asked guessing at the unfinished sentence.

"Yes Hokage-sama," Mizuki admitted.

"Where do I start?" The old Hokage sighed. "The Yondaime designed the seal that was used on the Kyūbi. The strength of the seal was derived though the innovative use of advanced Uzumaki fūinjutsu. Both Jiraiya and myself have inspected the seal, and I believe there are only two possible ways that the Kyūbi could break free or be an influential factor. It could only happen if he were in a life threatening scenario, or if he was shocked by something that was just as emotionally traumatic. This was the purpose of the law, and why I spare no mercy to those who would bring harm to the boy. So long as he is safe, then the Kyūbi cannot break free."

"If the boy needs to be safe then why allow him to be a ninja in the first place?" Mizuki's question was a valid one. He had heard it echoed by several members of the civilian council, jōnin advisors, clan heads, and every other manner of person who wanted to add their two ryō.

"The power that he contains can only be controlled by a shinobi. Only those who are extensively trained to use chakra can properly control a power like that of the Kyūbi, and it is a power that can keep the village safe against all threats. Naruto must become a shinobi to use the Kyūbi's power safely. It only helps that he wants to become one anyway."

"I see," Mizuki echoed the response of those who had also heard the answer. Like the others, the instructor began to understand exactly what Narurto really was. Loathe as he was to admit it, the blond was a weapon. Hiruzen began to return to his notes, but didn't hear the man bid farewell. Looking up again he saw the young chūnin standing, and patiently waiting for an opening to speak again.

"Was there anything else Mizuki?" the Sandiame asked the obvious question.

"If you have time Hokage-sama," Mizuki replied to which Hiruzen confirmed he had all the time the young teacher needed.

"Would you please look at this and let me know what it does," Mizuki asked withdrawing a scroll from his pocket. Opening the rolled paper its contents revealed an impressive sealing array unlike anything Hiruzen had seen before. Whatever it was, it was complicated.

"Where did you get this?" Hiruzen asked. It wasn't often that he saw something he didn't immediately understand. He was famed for his knowledge, and an understanding of every technique that was used in Konoha.

"It's a fūinjutsu that my father taught me when I was young, but I regret saying that I haven't learned much about it," the man confessed. "I was thinking about it earlier today and I realized that I didn't know exactly how it worked, so I was hoping that you could tell me."

"It isn't from Konoha I can tell you that much," Hiruzen answered while studying each character, each symbol, and each stroke of the brush left on the parchment. While he was no master of fūinjutsu like his predecessor was, he was better than most. Even so, he knew enough about the art to decipher a sealing array and determine its purpose. Fūinjutsu was like language, and even if it was the same across an entire nation, each region had its own unique dialect. "The style looks like it could stem from one of shinobi clans that hailed from the southwestern parts of Kaze no Kuni, where the desert is said to be born from the mountains."

Studying the seal produced little fruit. He simply didn't know about Sunagakure's native styles of fūinjutsu, but he was beginning to understand just how Mizuki had gained this seal. His parents hadn't always been at the Academy. They had been liaisons and representatives to Sunagakure during a period when the Sandaime Kazekage had gone missing. The crisis threatened to spill into a new global conflict. The work his parents did was the linchpin that allowed an alliance to form between Suna and Konoha. That treaty had fostered decades of peace between the two world powers. Immediately after the couple returned home, they set to work in the Academy.

"I'm afraid I have nothing more to say than that Mizuki," the Hokage admitted rolling up the scroll. "However, I will be travelling to Suna briefly to discuss the upcoming Chūnin Exams with the Kazekage. I could ask him for information on it, and offer to teach them about some of our techniques that they have gained over the years."

"Oh, there is no need to trade village secrets for something so trivial as this Hokage-sama," Mizuki implored frantically.

"Nonsense," Hiruzen replied trying to ease the instructor's worries, "you thought it important enough to bring to me so it isn't that trivial. Besides, my spies are very aware of the techniques that Suna has _acquired_ from us and they have nothing of consequence. Should this seal be of great importance then they will simply lie to me about it, and I will know that they are lying. Even if we learn nothing about it, we learn something."

"Of course," Mizuki nodded in understanding. "Thank you Hokage-sama."

"Anytime Mizuki," Hiruzen offered as the Academy instructor bowed in respect, clearly prepared to depart. "Oh, and good luck in the Jōnin exams. I expect great things from you."

"Yes Hokage-sama. Thank you Hokage-sama," and just as respectfully as the man had entered he left. Mizuki had made quite the turn-around according to Iruka. Mizuki's long-time friend was worried that the man may try to do something drastic, but apparently the issues at hand were dealt with, and a potential crisis averted.

The Sandaime had kept tabs with Iruka throughout the year. This was mostly so that he could be up to date on Naruto's progress, but this never stopped the old rascal from prying into the teacher's personal life. Hiruzen had always liked to know the shinobi that served him in some capacity that went beyond their life as ninja. He refused to let himself see the numerous men and woman as tools. He wanted to know the people and not the weapons they could be. Each body that returned in a bag, every name that was added to the memorial stone, and the countless souls that left and never came home brought him a measure of pain. Each death struck at his heart because it was personal. Hiruzen made it a point to know his shinobi so that it would always be personal.

The pain in the eyes of those who were survived by the dead, and the memories of the men and women he took the time to know were his burden. They were his reminder; a reminder that he needed to choose better, and to lead more wisely. It was a reminder of what his job really was: To protect all of the citizens of Konohagakure. This meant protecting his own shinobi, and shielding their families from the pain of an untimely death. This was the burden of the Hokage, and here in this moment, looking at the names of future shinobi, Sarutobi Hiruzen hoped that he could do his duty just a little longer. All he needed was just a little longer.


	12. Visions and Dreams

**Chapter 12: Visions and Dreams**

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." - T. E. Lawrence

* * *

The pale light of the moon shone brightly in the silvery metal. His blade had been honed to perfection, and it was ready for battle. Perhaps, it was ready more so than him now. The possibility of facing true combat loomed over Yurushi like the moon at night. The worry that it created was not nearly as bright or brilliant to look at. It cast a shadow, a fear, that should something happen Yurushi may have to take a life. His first taste of combat was under the supervision of his old master. It was something the young man held in regret and did not wish to remember.

The last mission they were on had no real fighting at all, and he was grateful for it. Hayate-sensei decided to pose as the goat, stating that it was too dangerous for anyone else to be the bait. Following the crooks wasn't difficult, and sneaking up on them was far too easy. As the team prepared to strike, it unsettled him how simple the job had been. For hours they waited on his request to see if they would contact a coconspirator, but there was nothing. The gang of crooks worked alone, and arresting them didn't even warrant drawing his sword. Staring at the gleaming metal now, Yurushi realized that it might not be so easy this time. This time he might have to fight to survive. This time he may have to kill.

He shuttered that the thought and sheathed the blade. Desperately, Yurushi tried to remember Katsushiro-sensei's words. They were there, somewhere in the corners of his mind, but he could not immediately find them. His master's voice seemed so far away now; forgotten, like a dream after waking, or a nightmare purposefully overlooked. Still he reached for the lesson he had been taught. "A samurai seeks not combat, but peace. A samurai takes up the sword not to kill, but to defend," Yurushi said to himself as he recalled his master's words.

The sound of someone dropping down from the trees above emanated from behind, and Yurushi turned to see Hayate-sensei standing over him. His face was tired, and his eyes were dark. Yurushi wondered if his teacher ever actually slept, because the man never seemed to be well rested.

"Noble words," the exhausted looking jōnin noted offhandedly. "But you are not a samurai anymore. You are shinobi, and a shinobi must be ready to kill and to die for the sake of their village."

"Yes Sensei," Yurushi registered the difference. History had portrayed shinobi and samurai as not so different from one another, but the years had obviously created a vast ideological distance between the two groups. Adjusting to this new line of thought was difficult. Right and wrong had once been so clear cut. Morality was black and white, but now everything was shades of grey. Things were muddled and confusing, and he never really knew where he stood.

"Come on Yurushi," Hayate-sensei smiled gently. "Kenshi's back now and he brought some dinner."

Grasping the scabbard of his blade, Yurushi stood to follow after the elder sword wielding ninja. Hayate-sensei was not a bad man, nor a poor teacher. Quite the opposite, in fact Hayate-sensei clearly cared for his team and taught very well. The man was different, and his lessons were different. Even though Katsushiro-sensei was a quiet man, he spoke directly. Hayate-sensei, on the other hand, spoke in general subtleties and urged Team Thirteen to _figure it out_. It frustrated him to no end. He was always forced to solve the puzzle of Sensei's lectures, but he was getting better at it.

Hayate-sensei stressed the importance of being self-sufficient, and emphasized an individualistic philosophy. This was not to say that he was against teamwork, seeking help, or working with others. Rather, the man wanted his students to be able to take care of themselves in a variety of situations. Yurushi knew that this approach to teaching was likely taken so that Team Thirteen could act on their own should something unfortunate happen.

Still, it would have been nice if Hayate's lessons and teachings didn't seem to contradict everything that Yurushi had come to know. Kenshi and Hanami seemed to understand and accept most of what was said with little complication. Yurushi did not have the same background in the shinobi world that Hanami did, and he wasn't a blank slate like Kenshi. Though he excelled in learning the physical skills and martial techniques, it was the philosophy and the reasoning Yurushi struggled with. Katsushiro-sensei always said that the reasons a sword is used were more important than how well it is used. Interestingly enough, Hayate-sensei agreed with that.

The forest was alive at night. Every manner of beast and creature sang to the pale glow beneath the stars, but they remained unseen. Walking over the fallen branches Yurushi let his feet tread lightly as to not draw too much noise from the rustling of the leaves on the ground. The occasional crunch was heard and the redhead felt the familiar satisfaction of life on the road. The scenery in the village rarely changed. The seasons would pass but the leaves were eternally green, and he had long missed the yellows, reds, and oranges that he had seen across the world.

The soft glow of a small campfire illuminated the deep night, and as teacher and student grew closer toward the rest of the group, Yurushi could smell dinner being prepared. Unagi, the genin guessed, unless his senses had completely failed him. Hanami's form was hunched near the fire, as she carefully inspected the spits hung over the flames. Kenshi was drying off in the heat that was radiating from the burning wood, and Yurushi felt at home.

"Hey Yurushi, You were actually right about that stream!" Kenshi shouted as the pair closed in on the humble camp. The redhead frowned at the joke made at his expense. Ever since he was wrong about the gang of animal thieves not being a part of a larger organization, Kenshi had repeatedly teased him about being a conspiracy nut. "I hope you like eels though, 'cause I couldn't catch anything else."

Yurushi nodded in satisfaction. Unagi was his favorite. Even though this meal was lacking the rice that usually accompanied the dish, it would be good to have some for dinner. Naruto, the poor kid, would likely have dinner at Ichiraku's every night until he returned. Ever since Yurushi first arrived at the village he and Naruto always shared a meal together. They would train together often, and on occasion the blond would accompany him to a few social outings. Family always makes a point of connecting with its own, and sharing a meal gave the best opportunity. They had their own lives, and did their own things, but at the end of the day Yurushi and his cousin were family. Nothing could change that, nothing would change that, and Yurushi wanted to keep it that way.

The young Uzumaki took a seat on a felled tree, next to Kenshi. He turned to lay his sword down and when he turned back around Hanami was standing in front of him. Her hand was extended, offering the skewered eel, and a gentle smile outlined her face. Faintly, the dim silver of the moonlight reflected in her eyes and was woven in with her violet irises. For a breathless moment Yurushi was beside himself. She shook her hand slightly and the dazed teen realized this was a prompt to take his dinner. He reached out to grasp the stick, and grazed his teammate's hand in the process. Yurushi wasn't sure what he felt, but as his fingers feathered against her skin he felt something, and it wasn't just her hand. Securing his meal, he quickly but subtly broke contact before the moment became awkward.

"I hope you like it," Hanami whispered. "Kabayaki isn't my specialty and I'm not used to cooking without any equipment yet."

"Ahh, who are you kiddin' Hanami?" Kenshi interjected while chewing. "This is great! Way better than anything Kenshi or I could have made!"

"You really think so?" Hanami asked bashfully.

"Of course," Kenshi answered between mouthfuls. "This tastes great, just tell her Yurushi."

Taking a bite and the blackened skin was crispy while the meat was quite tender. Perhaps charred a bit too long and lacking any sauces or additional flavors, but the eel was still delicious. Yurushi nodded in agreement as he took another bite. Hanami's face lit up with delight at learning she had more than exceeded her friend's expectations, and likely her own. The more confident she became in herself, the less hesitation she wore. Her father must have cast a long shadow indeed for the white haired girl to criticize herself so heavily.

Yurushi had learned to cook during the early years of his life. Hovering over an open fire was the only way to make hot food when on the road, and that limited the options for a menu. As he settled in Konoha, Yurushi did try his hand at other dishes. Making ramen for the first time was an experience. He had never made noodles before, and quickly discovered that it was far more difficult than Teuchi had made it seem. '_I wonder what Naruto thought of the ramen I made for him,_' the boy pondered as he ate. His cousin would let him know how the ramen tasted with brutal honesty. For the blond, ramen was more than just a meal. It was closer to a way of life, and bad ramen was akin to some plague. '_I hope I didn't overcook the noodles._'

"Alright, take a seat Hanami," Hayate's voice insisted as his mood seemed serious. "While you guys eat I want to go over some mission details."

The redhead took another bite of his meal and focused on what his Sensei was going to say. His teammates perked up, and the redhead wondered if Hayate-sensei would let them direct the mission like last time. Yurushi doubted it since this one sounded far more serious.

"We have made good ground today, but tomorrow we'll be meeting up with our client. When we do we'll let them set the pace, but you need to keep on your guard. Just because we'll travel slower doesn't mean you get to slack off. In fact, I expect you to be extra sharp because as long as we are on mission, our client in under our protection. Do you understand?"

Affirmatives were given all around the camp fire as the Yurushi waited to learn what the exact details of the mission were. It was strange for genin to go on a mission like this one. It wasn't their first C-Ranked mission, but the others had a less serious nature to them. Stopping small town thieves, delivering shipments within the borders of Hi no Kuni, and carrying messages were really small feats.

"As we've already discussed," the weary Sensei continued, "we are going to be looking for a woman who has gone missing. Her father is our client, and he is the elder of a village just beyond the borders of Hi no Kuni and within Yu no Kuni. I expect you to treat the elder with the utmost respect. This village engages in a fair amount of trade with Hi no Kuni, and as shinobi of Konohagakure we represent our nation. Should we give the elder reason to think less of us then he in turn could think less of our country, and trade relations could suffer."

"Wow," Kenshi astonished, "who would have thought that a ninja mission could affect so much different stuff."

Hayate-sensei hummed with a nod in affirmation. "There is always more to a mission than the mission itself. Sometimes there are long lasting repercussions to even the most simple task. Is there something you'd like to ask Hanami?"

Yurushi turned to see the girl return her hand to her lap. School house habits like raising a hand to ask a question die hard. "Doesn't Yu no Kuni have ninja of its own? I remember reading that they had a hidden village."

"_Had_, is the operative word." The elder ninja clarified. "Yugakure was destroyed a long time ago. It has since been rebuilt, but the daimyo never funded the reconstruction of their Shinobi Corp. So, if someone there ever needs a ninja they have to rely on outside sources."

"Oh," the white haired genin answered in understanding. Though her self-assurance had blossomed every so often Yurushi could catch the fear of failure that lingered in her eyes. He hoped that she was not so fragile as to backtrack on all the progress she had made. "So, how was Yugakure destroyed?"

"Officially, it was a civil war. Unofficially, nobody knows for sure," The jōnin explained hinting at conspiracy. Kenshi elbowed him in the side. Yurushi turned to find a smile and raised eyebrow on his friend. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. The conspiracy theorist joke was getting old, but the possibility Sensei had suggested was very real. The prospect that a hidden village could be destroyed did not surprise him though. The beginning of the end for the Uzumaki clan was the moment when Uzushiogakure was wiped off the map. The link between the two villages was that nobody knew the truth of the matter. Or the truth was hidden away.

"Anyway," Hayate-sensei cleared his throat to regain attention. "When we get to the village we will begin our investigation. Right now, don't operate under any assumptions. Just know that the woman went missing a few days ago, but as you talk to people and investigate the events surrounding her disappearance it is important that you do not accuse anyone. In fact, keep your suspicions to yourself until you can tell me what you have discovered. We'll get more details when we get there, but until then stay on guard. Any questions?"

Eyeing his teammates, Yurushi saw that no one else had any inquiries. His Sensei seemed satisfied and he rose from his seat opposite the three genin. His initial thought was that the jōnin had reservations about some aspect of their assignment, but the redhead certainly wasn't going to invite more dumb jokes from Kenshi. The less material his fellow swordsman had to work with the sooner the gag would die.

"I'm going to go on a quick perimeter check," the Jōnin stated. "Hanami, if you would like to join me I can get you started on that training I was talking about earlier."

The two disappeared together into the darkness. Only the subtle sounds of their feet moving from branch to branch could point to their whereabouts. The sound of their moving was soon lost to distance and then drowned out by another sound. Yurushi turned to an all too familiar sight: Kenshi hunched over his blade as he sharpened the edge with his whetstone.

"What kind of training is Sensei giving to Hanami?" The young ninja asked.

"She asked Hayate-sensei about learning some specific techniques," Yurushi answered. "I think she wanted to specialize as a sensory ninja or something like that."

"Whoa, really?" The brown haired boy responded with eyes set wide. "That would be so cool, 'cause then we could really be an awesome ambush team."

Yurushi nodded his agreement. Since their first mission beyond the village walls, Hayate-sensei had been training the up and coming Team Thirteen to specialize in the art of the ambush. Simulations and exercises had laid the foundations in the areas of executing an ambush, and defending against them. The one thing that the group truly lacked was any variety of sensory based techniques, and Hanami had elected to learn them.

"So, um, Yurushi," Kenshi drawled out slowly as he busied himself with routine maintenance. It wasn't like Kenshi to be indirect, so the redhead was instantly curious. "Have you figured out what your dream is?"

"My dream?" He asked quizzically.

"Yeah," his friend responded clearly expecting Yurushi to already know what he was speaking of. "You didn't really know what your dream was when we first became a team, and it's been about a year. I kinda figured you had to know by now. Right?"

"Well," Yurushi thought. He still wished to know about his clan, but had long since learned that the answers he wanted would not come cheap. He had long since lost all forms of further leads within the village walls. Granted he had not been seeking as actively as he once did, but it mattered little. The records were scrubbed, and nothing short of the Hokage would be able to point him in the right direction. That wouldn't happen anytime soon.

"You still don't know?" Kenshi looked appalled.

"Well," the Uzumaki teen began to explain, "I only really ever had one real dream."

"What is it?" Kenshi asked excitedly.

"When I first learned who my mother was I wanted to become a shinobi just like her," Yurushi replied reflecting on the day he learned of his mother. Katsushiro-sensei had been so blunt about her apparent death, but never allowed him to feel sorry for himself. It was her wish to sacrifice herself, and Katsushiro-sensei never once held him responsible. His mother's past had caught up with her, and it did so at a time when she was not prepared to deal with it. Circumstance, that was all. Yurushi was a victim of circumstance and nothing more.

"Was she an Uzumaki too?" Kenshi asked cautiously. Yurushi's fellow swordsman was walking on broken glass, not wanting to delve too deep into an uncomfortable topic, but wanting to understand. What his friend was trying to understand Yurushi couldn't say, but it wasn't as sore of a subject as Kenshi had been thinking it was. He could talk about it; he just didn't want to.

"Yeah," Yurushi breathed. "My former Sensei said that she was a powerful ninja, a fūinjutsu master, and a great person. She left me all of the scrolls that belonged to her along with a few other personal effects. She wrote extensively, and from what I read she was very smart. Her skill is far beyond anything I can do right now, but I am going to learn."

"You'll do it," Kenshi admitted as he inspected his sword's sharpness. "So, now that you are a shinobi, what's your dream?"

Yurushi knew what his desire had been. The mysteries of his heritage were hanging in front of him just waiting to be grasped, but had remained just out of reach. Telling Hayate-sensei posed the risk of drawing the wrong kind of attention. Whatever information that was inside the walls of Konoha would be inaccessible. Should the Hokage ever found out he was searching, then the hunt would become all the more difficult. The information was hidden for a purpose, and even if he wasn't directly responsible the Hokage knew something. Still, Kenshi could be trusted. Couldn't he?

Katsushiro-sensei had warned him to be cautious of whom he trusted. His master warned him not to let anyone know about his mother's library unless he trusted them with his life. Even though he was hiding confidential records and state secrets, the Hokage could be trusted. Jiraiya-sensei, who had taught both Naruto and himself and was the student of the Hokage, could be trusted. Few precious others could be trusted to such a degree. Yet, Yurushi paled at the realization of what he had just done. He had just mentioned that very library so freely and so casually to his teammate on reflex.

Hayate-sensei had taught that the difference between the ninja of Konoha and other shinobi was their emphasis on teamwork and their strong sense of camaraderie. He had said that in Konoha, shinobi trust their fellows enough to guard their backs no matter who they were. This was because the hitai-ate of Konohagakure was more than a status symbol. It was a brotherhood, and that brotherhood turned strangers into friends, bitter enemies into silent rivals, and a team into a family. Even though he knew there was deception and a disregard for honor among the shinobi, Yurushi was starting feel what his Sensei had been teaching. His teammates were more than just friends now; they were as close to his heart as Naruto had become.

"I want to know what happened to my clan," Yurushi answered. Trusting Kenshi with something that he had only shared with Naruto was an act of faith. Faith that his friend would know the confidentiality of his quest, and faith that he wouldn't speak openly. "They were once proud and powerful, and after they were destroyed some survivors moved to Konoha. Those survivors supposedly died decades before Naruto was born, but my cousin is an Uzumaki. There is no explanation for their disappearance."

Silence was the reply. Kenshi looked up from his work and appeared solemnly thoughtful, but said nothing. "I also want to find out what happened to my mother," the redhead continued. "The day she left me in the care of Katsushiro-sensei she never returned. There was no body found, and nothing that showed whether or not she survived. If she really is alive out there, then I am going to find her. Even if she isn't, then I want to give her a proper funeral and say my goodbyes."

"No wonder you think everything is one big conspiracy," Kenshi laughed as he stood and sheathed his sword, apparently satisfied with his work. The redhead wanted to slug his friend for being stupid, but just as casually as the joke was made, the comedic attitude melted in the heat of the flames. Sternness became etched in the brown eyes. "I'll help you then, no matter what. Whatever you need to do to get your answers, I'll be right there with you."

Yurushi grinned. Kenshi was always so brazen, but it was things like that this made him such a good friend. As much as he joked and teased, Kenshi never failed to extend a helping hand to a friend. Whenever the brown haired ninja said he was going to do something then he did it. The teen was like the swords that he constructed. He cut to the core of the matter, and even when he wasn't in use he stayed by the sides of those he cared for.

"Thanks Kenshi," Yurushi said as the pair of friends walked towards their bed mats. Guard rotations would be in effect as soon as Hayate-sensei and Hanami returned, and even though the sleepless Sensei took the bulk of the watch, they would still have to wake for their shift. Just to get the hang of things.

Settling into the familiar comforts of a bed roll laid out on the soft earth, Yurushi hoped that he could somehow return the favor that Kenshi had offered. Looking above he saw the stars and tried to find the constellations and other shapes. A poem was building in the back of his mind, but the right words hadn't quite reached his hands. Perhaps by morning something would develop. Whatever he needed to do, Kenshi had said. Yurushi had trusted him enough to share his deepest desire, and Kenshi was willing to follow him to see it though; no matter what. He had trusted Kenshi, and Kenshi honored that trust with loyalty.

Yurushi closed his eyes to the world around and allowed himself to drift toward sleep. Whatever dreams awaited him would not last long, as the sun would wake and bring him out of his rest. The dreams and visions that he held at night were little more than wisps of fantasy. The ones he had in his waking hours, those were real, those were tangible, and they were called goals.

* * *

Consciousness returned with a sudden snap. Yurushi awoke to find Hanami stoking the fire. Kenshi was sleeping still, and the first rays of dawn were creeping through the leafy canopy overhead. The shades of orange and red that he saw were nothing short of spectacular. How the soft light of early dawn bled through the leaves, made the foliage seem to glow.

Turning to find his pack, Yurushi fished through and found his scroll, brushes, and ink. The poem from last night was long gone; lost in the languid hours of the first watch. Luckily, the morning scenery was far too inspirational. He walked over toward a clear spot inside the camp where the dying fire had dried up the dew. After he unfurled the scroll until blank space appeared, Yurushi set to the task of putting ink to brush and brush to page. He could hear Hanami walking over to watch. The words flowed out with a serene gentleness. Smooth and steady, and each brushstroke was precisely placed.

_Boldly breaks the dawn_

_As the light ignites the trees_

_How the heart will burn_

"That's beautiful," Hanami said as Yurushi had finished. "What does it mean?"

"That's the beauty of haiku," the Uzumaki explained as he cleaned up his work area. "I get to ask that question to the reader. What does the poem mean to you?"

The girl appeared a little flustered by the shift of attentions, but Yurushi would be patient in waiting for her answer. A passing breeze caused her white hair to wave ever so slightly, her button nose scrunched up a little as she thought. Her head rose as her eyes studied the tree line. Her violet eyes shone in majesty, and Yurushi felt a little nervous standing so close to the girl. Suddenly, he realized she was beautiful. Yurushi found himself listing things about her, as if trying to convince himself otherwise.

It didn't work. Each aspect of her character formed a new facet which displayed unspeakable beauty. Sighing in defeat he realized two things. His feelings for her had grown to something beyond friendship right under his nose. Also, that she was unattainable. Much like a glass menagerie he could see all of the reason she was lovely, but touching her would make it break. She didn't speak of it, but she liked Kenshi. Yurushi pushed his thoughts aside, and calmed himself. Professionalism was the route he would have to take, and he would never allow personal feelings to cloud his better judgment.

"I guess," the girl answered slowly as her thoughts took form on her tongue, "the light is all of the good things in the world like hope, and love, and truth, and friendship. It is what gives the leaves, or Konoha shinobi, their passion and drive. That is what fuels our hearts and gives us strength. I guess it's what Hokage-sama calls the Will of Fire."

"Well then," Yurushi smiled at her answer. "That is what it means."

He returned to his bed mat and began to pack for their journey. Hayate-sensei was likely checking the perimeter, and avoiding sleep again. Kenshi had taken the split shift, and sleep would be a precious commodity for him right now. Rolling up the bed mat, Yurushi recalled the map of the land they were traveling to. The village they were travelling to was small, little more than a trading post for local farmers. Still, he had been there once with Katsushiro-sensei, and was eager to see how it might have changed. Darkly he recalled how it had changed him.

"Sensei is coming," Hanami warned, thankfully breaking the line of thought. Clearly whatever training had taken place was fruitful, as mere seconds later their Sensei appeared from above the trees.

"Wake Kenshi," Hayate-sensei ordered. "It's time to go."

* * *

Twilight hours were approaching as the end of the trek neared. Team Thirteen huddled around their Sensei who was viewing something through a pair of binoculars. At the bottom of the hill lie the crossroads where they were to meet their client. The problem, though Yurushi couldn't see it too well, was that their client was not there. Rather, someone else was and they were waiting.

"Alright," Hayate-sensei said as he gave Kenshi his binoculars. "I'm going to go down there and figure out who that is. Just stay here and wait for my signal."

The branches of the camphor tree shifted as their leader dropped to the ground. He walked calmly toward the man who stood in wait. Hopefully, it wasn't a trap. If fighting broke out, then it would take some time to cross the kilometer or so that separated the team from their Sensei. Of course, Hayate-sensei was a jōnin, and Yurushi knew that the rank counted for something in the way of skill.

The air was tense. Yurushi remained calm, but he could feel the anxiety welling up inside all of them. There really was no way of knowing just who that man was, or what he wanted without talking to him. If it was an ambush, then surely there would be an opposing group that was hiding just out of sight. That gave him some ease of mind. Aside from the low hanging branches the team was perched in, there wasn't much cover in the open countryside. Slow rolling hills crawled above the roads they were staring at. A few wore a small cluster of trees along the low slopes, but nothing much else in the way of cover near the crossroads.

"Guys," Yurushi whispered, "we should get ready to move in."

Hanami and Kenshi nodded. Hanami checked her equipment and Kenshi found a better spot where he could watch and wait, but move quickly at the first sign of danger. An ambush hidden close to the meeting point would be the work of true experts and difficult to counter given the distance. Anything else could be spotted and dealt with appropriately enough for Yurushi's concerns.

"I see something," Kenshi whispered as Yurushi and Hanami were working their way toward ground level. "Sensei's giving a signal, but I can't quite make it out."

"Let's go," Hanami said. Her boldness surprised Yurushi. Usually she was more cautious, or slow on the draw as Kenshi called it. Yurushi grabbed her shoulder as a signal to stay put. As he let go, Hanami seemed to understand. The nature of the signal would be very telling. Kenshi couldn't make out what Hayate's orders were, and those orders would let them know if they were dealing with friend or foe.

"It's an all clear," Kenshi said as he dropped from his perch above. "Come on! He wants us to join him."

Yurushi gave a sigh of relief. He wanted to avoid a fight as much as he could. He knew his skills were in combat, but he didn't want to deal with whatever the results of combat would be. He didn't want to be in a situation where he had to take a life, but he couldn't live with himself if one of his friends were hurt. Quickly, the genin traversed the dirt path that led to their Sensei.

Hanami and Kenshi carried on about something or another. Yurushi couldn't tell what they were talking about as his own thoughts were plaguing him. He didn't want to fight, and for the first time it wasn't because needless violence went against the samurai way. He simply didn't want anything bad to happen to the pair in front of him, or even his Sensei. They had become familiar; a comfort in a time of transition. Both Team Thirteen and Naruto were something that made him feel welcome where he felt out of place. He simply didn't want to lose it.

Still, he knew the day would soon come where he would have to draw his sword, and he would bleed, fight, kill, or even die. What he wanted, however, was to know that when that day came he did those things to protect what he cared for rather than for the whims of a village. If he could manage that much, then perhaps he could find balance between the road to ninja and the way of the samurai.

Hayate-sensei's face grew clearer as they approached, and his hand outstretched pointing to them. Clearly, he was making introductions on their behalf. As they drew near the voices became more pronounced as the strange man seemed pleased by something.

"I must say," the man said as the genin stopped in front of the two adults, "we had only requested you Hayate-san. The village cannot afford a full squad."

"There is no need to worry," Hayate-sensei answered. "You paid for the mission, and Hokage-sama sends what he deems necessary for mission completion. It could have been just me or three full squads, but you would have only paid for the mission itself."

"You don't think that your genin will be placed in harm's way do you?" The man asked. He shifted uncomfortably as he stood there. Perhaps he was unnerved by ninja. A reasonable reaction as far as Yurushi was concerned.

"There isn't a reason for thinking so," the jōnin returned. "Is there Noboru-san?"

"No," the man waved his hands in nervous denial, "of course not. If their skills are as high as you say then there shouldn't be anything they can't handle."

Hayate-sensei appeared satisfied, if not a bit skeptical. "Team, this is Noboru-san. He is Chief of Security in Yokkaichi village."

"Chief of security?" Kenshi repeated in curious contemplation. "So, you're a cop?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," the man answered. He was a tall, a bit thin looking. Though, Yurushi imagined that the man would be able to hold his own in most situations. His dark eyes and black hair made him look plain, and his wiry moustache seemed to be an ill fit for his narrow face. "There really isn't much need for a large police force in the village, so I am the only one. As I was telling your Sensei, the elder regrets being unable to meet you here today, but he was feeling rather ill."

The group set out toward Yokkaichi village, Noboru leading the way. Yurushi didn't need his guidance, but followed nonetheless. He couldn't recall Noboru being present in the village all those years ago, but Katsushiro-sensei had kept the adventurous boy from wandering too far from his side. It was possible that the village had expanded greatly over the past six years, but that was doubtful. Larger villages didn't often recognize an elder system of leadership beyond ceremony and tradition. If the village elder was in charge of things, then it was likely to still be a quaint little town.

"So do you know anything about the missing woman?" Hanami asked after long moments of silence. "Being Chief of Security you must have performed your own investigation. Anything you have could help us find her more quickly."

"I know her quite well," Noboru answered quietly. "She is my betrothed. I suppose that I can fill you in on what I've discovered as we go."

Betrothed? The missing woman and this man were to be married? Yurushi couldn't imagine what he must be going through. Well, perhaps he could. Katsushiro-sensei had gone missing. Not in the same manner, but he disappeared all the same. This man was saddened by the vanishing of his beloved, while Yurushi felt a bit on edge when he thought of the samurai leaving. He could have at least sent a letter or dropped in to visit, but there was never any contact made. The young Uzumaki knew that he had already forgiven his former master, but the resentment still lingered.

"Yumiko loved to journey in the wild open spaces that surround the village. There is a particular glade that we would commonly go out to just to spend time together. The morning that she disappeared she had said that she was going to walk to the glade, and she would return by late afternoon," Noboru trailed off.

"But she never came back?" Kenshi asked the obvious question to detract from an awkward silence.

"No," the grieved man answered. "She didn't return that evening. Before the sun had set I went looking for her. I looked everywhere near that clearing where she could have gotten hurt. The next day I looked at every other spot that I know she travels to, and still found nothing."

"Could it be that she was attacked by a wild animal?" Kenshi asked.

"There have been some incidences with bears lately, but I saw nothing that looked like she was attacked by one. Yumiko will take her bow with her when she goes on long hikes by herself, and I saw no stray shots or blood anywhere I looked," Noboru recalled.

"What about bandit activity?" Hanami questioned. "Could it have been a group of thugs?"

"Bandits are a rare sight in Yokkaichi," Noboru clarified. "The only time of year we have any issue with them is during the harvest festival. The festival isn't for another six weeks, and even then we don't always have problems. During my investigations I didn't see any real evidence of a struggle. I admit I'm not the best tracker though."

No signs of a struggle, and no indications of a wild animal attack. Yurushi considered the options, and none of them sounded very comforting for the case, or his team for that matter. '_If there was no sign of struggle of any kind, then it couldn't have been an accident._'

As the road lingered on, Yurushi cut a quick glance at his Sensei, who seemed to be listening intently with a smile on his face. '_Hayate-sensei hasn't said a word about the case so far, and he's just been listening in on everything and smiling. He knows something,_' Yurushi thought. Conspiracy and intrigue captivated his mind to the point where he was beginning to wonder if Kenshi's jokes were more truthful than not.

Shrugging inwardly, his inquisitive nature had taken over and his desire to know the answers to the nature of Yumiko's disappearance caused him to question many of the circumstances. Yurushi studied their client as they walked. Something about his movements caught the boy's eye. They were firm, confident, controlled, and looked far too practiced. They weren't the carefree steps of a civilian shopkeeper, nor the heavy footfalls of a laborer. This Noboru person has had some measure of military training. More careful study was needed, but it raised several suspicions.

"Would there be any reason why Yumiko would want to run away?" Yurushi finally asked. It wasn't his first suspicion, but it was the least accusatory. Still, the possibility remained that Yumiko could have simply run off. There would be no signs of struggle, little misgiving of her absence until hours after she was expected to return, and if she was familiar with the land she could leave less of a trail to follow.

"Yurushi!" The voice of Hayate-sensei sternly called out behind him. Yurushi turned to see what the issue was and he found Hayate's face set with a cautious gaze. It wasn't anger at what he had suggested, but redheaded ninja discovered that he was being warned.

'_So, Hayate-sensei did know something more about the case,_' Yurushi concluded to himself. '_He just wanted to see how well we could perform a subtle interrogation. I guess I'll have to talk about this with him later_.'

"It's alright Hayate-san," Noboru answered, his eyes seemed to be fighting back tears. "I did not want to think the possibility to be true. My job would require me to look at all possible causes for any given incident, but I didn't want to believe that Yumiko would run away from home. She seemed so happy, and with the wedding so close at hand she always told me how excited she was. Normally she would only venture out alone when she was stressed, or troubled, or wanted to collect her thoughts. Lately, she had been doing that more and more often. Looking back, I guess that she never wanted to be wed in the first place."

"Yurushi is just being thorough Noboru-san," Hanami interjected politely, but edged a cutting stare towards the young teen when their client wasn't looking. Yurushi wasn't too sure what to make of that. Perhaps he had gone too far with that suggestion. "I'm sure that she didn't run away."

Noboru nodded slightly in some practiced agreement, but didn't appear to be convinced. The road was still long before them, and Yurushi was feeling anxious at the reduced pace. He realized that it had been quite some time since he last travelled this slowly. He counted his breaths, each one long and deep. Soon, he felt more relaxed. Calm. As he travelled along with the rest of the group, in relative silence, Yurushi took in the scenery. It brought his heart back to what was a simpler time on his life, where he had nothing other than Katsushiro-sensei's expectations to worry about. His soul went back to a time where life was travel, and poetry, and study.

If there was nothing else, it was good to be on the road again.

* * *

The road was still now. The group had come and gone, and now he waited for the signal along with the rest of his team. Bushes rustled behind him, and he palmed his kunai knife. He turned sharply, hand cocked back and ready to let the sharpened blade fly. His finger twitched at the last second, and the knife buried itself deeply in the trunk of a tree. His mark was missed. Unconcerned he turned back around to view the road again.

"Dammit!" His partner harshly whispered. "You could have killed me!"

"But I didn't," he retorted.

"It was just supposed to be the one, but he has a whole team with him!" His partner voiced the obvious objection to the mission.

"It doesn't matter," he answered. The quality of help these days was appalling. The mission was to secure the target, and it was as simple as that. The team had to break up and search at some point, so it was as simple as waiting for the right moment. "Get the men ready."

"For what?" His partner asked. His hand had that all too familiar itch. It came along every once in a while when someone was truly testing his last nerve. It was an itch that could only be scratched when his kunai embedded itself into the source of his annoyance. The squelch of impact and the silence that followed, it was so calming. "There is no way that we can fight against a jōnin, his team, and take the target alive."

"If you want to live to see payday," he threatened "then you'll get the men ready."

"Alright, alright," his partner relented. "What are we going to do about the spares though?"

He thought for a moment. The boss only wanted the one, but he did say something about needing an innocent. A genin was innocent enough wasn't it? Innocent of what would be the question, but it was possible that the unexpected company could be useful. He would have to discuss the possibility with the boss, but it could play out in their favor.

"Just get the men ready," he answered. "They need to be ready to take the whole team in force."

"But we only need the mark," his partner complained. Why the boss thought to pair this idiot with him he would never understand. He was so ready to relieve his palm of that itch, but his employer would not be pleased. As stupid as he was, his partner had his uses.

"Just go," he answered while making a point of drawing another kunai. "Or this one goes in your skull."

Without another word his partner left. Finally silence. He reached into his pouch and took out a small black covered book. It wasn't a complete Bingo Book, but a simple dossier on several ninja from Konoha to have known affiliations with the target. The pages of the ones he had seen were now dog eared. He would review them later when his boss arrived to go over the plan. The jōnin would be a problem, but the genin would be a nuisance at most. The moment they split up to conduct their search is the moment they lose the game. It was as simple as that.

The planning that had gone into this mission was covered every scenario. No matter how moronic the help was, the execution of the plan would be flawless. If not they were all dead so it wouldn't matter. All that mattered was boss and his dream; a vision really. If they were successful in helping him see it come to fruition, then he would share it with them. It was such a beautiful dream.


	13. The Power of Truth

**Chapter 13: The Power of Truth**

"In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

* * *

The dull throb of his hand felt good. It was the sign of progress. Another punch landed against the face of the well-worn wood. Long had this training post served the shinobi of Konohagakure, and long would it continue in that role. Another strike landed as he ran through his kata and he could feel the dips and grooves that had been formed in the wood's firm surface. Naruto would be prepared. He was a shinobi, and nothing was going to stop him now.

His team was, well, they were _different_.

First, there was Sasuke. The _Last of the Uchiha_ had a reputation for being the best, and for being a total ass. He was snobby, stuck up, and self-absorbed. Everything about that guy just rubbed Naruto the wrong way. The blond couldn't stand him, and he really couldn't stand his attitude. That superiority complex was the worst, but at least he knocked the guy down a peg or two that afternoon.

'_Yeah, I pulled one over on him for sure,_' Naruto thought victoriously as he continued his routine training. '_He never saw the Kage Bunshin comin' either. I sure showed him who's top dog around here._'

The teams had been chosen early that morning. Yurushi had told him that the dead last was grouped with the top rated boy and girl of the class. He should be insulted that he was grouped as the dead last, because Iruka-sensei had told him that he graduated as second from the bottom. His long time instructor had told him, however, that it didn't matter where he was grouped as long as he gave it his all. That is exactly what he would do. After all, Yurushi had told him to listen to his Sensei.

After the team selections the blond had tried to make the best of his lunch time. He tried to eat lunch with Sasuke only to be blown off. He extended the offer to his other teammate Sakura, but she denied him as well. The answer she gave him didn't exactly fall into the realm of normal, even if the end result was the same. Instead of yelling or shouting Sakura was only slightly antagonistic toward him. It was a sharp comment, and a harsh denial, but not the typical overly dramatic reaction. She then went to beg Sasuke to eat lunch with her. The whole sequence was strange, and it had warranted investigation.

Forgoing lunch, Naruto hatched a scheme. Something simple by which he could learn a bit about Sakura. He knew all he wanted to know about Sasuke, but Sakura had been treating him differently lately. He wanted to go the straight forward route and ask her what the deal was, but that got him nowhere. So this time, subtlety was the course of action. Naruto had decided that the best way to talk to the pink haired beauty was to disguise himself as someone else. The girl seemed to have no eagerness in talking to him, but she gushed over Sasuke. The whole plan would have been scrubbed if Sasuke decided to change his mind and spend lunch with the girl.

He wouldn't, but the chance remained. If the sour faced Uchiha showed up while Naruto was still using a Henge no Jutsu then it cause all kinds of trouble. The blond schemer did the only thing that ensured that wouldn't happen. He snuck up on the raven haired jackass and tied him up. '_That was hilarious,_' Naruto reminisced as he landed a solid kick against the weathered training post. '_He thought he had me beat, and right when he let his guard down I nailed him! He'll remember that for a while_.'

His meeting with Sakura went off without a hitch. She bought his disguise, hook, line, and sinker. She was gushing, and blushing, and fumbling all over herself trying to make a good impression. Rather she was all about Sasuke, and it only slightly hurt having to remind himself that she had no clue it was him. Only slightly, because when he broached himself as the topic of conversation the results were mind boggling. She mentioned that she thought he was annoying, that she believed him to be an idiot, but then Sakura said something that blew Naruto away. She said that he had potential. Hearing that shocked him so much he had to excuse himself or risk losing the Henge.

After he collected himself, the meeting was over. Sasuke had decided to escape and come looking for him, but the wily blond took the moment to slip away unnoticed. After lunch, everyone met back up in the Academy to meet their sensei. Sakura had a confused look on her face. Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't stop glaring at Naruto. The blond wheeled around the post and landed a small chain of punches as he thought of his new rival's silent anger. It brought him joy to think that he had bested the _Rookie of the Year_, and how it would eat at Sasuke's mind. Sure, the Uchiha wouldn't go around telling people he lost to the dead-last, and nobody would believe Naruto's story. It didn't matter though. Naruto knew and Sasuke knew. That was more than enough.

'_He'll be sure not to underestimate me again,_' Naruto thought as he stretched his leg out, and kicked the top of his lifeless sparring partner.

His new Sensei was kind of weird. The whiskered genin wasn't too sure how to take the mysterious Kakashi. The guy was a jōnin, but he didn't act like he even cared to be a ninja. He was hours late to the team meeting, and didn't even notice the eraser lodged up in the door. It was the most basic prank he knew of, and it only ever fooled stupid kids. Then when they talked about their dreams, hobbies, and all the stuff they liked, Kakashi-sensei didn't give a straight answer. He didn't even give a vague answer. It was like he didn't care to get attached to the group.

The blond slammed an elbow into the wood, and quickly turned to give a knee. His new Sensei was the reason he was still out here, training as the sun set. His routine came to an end and Naruto felt exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. Apparently there was some sort of secret test that the newly minted Team Seven had to pass before they could become ninja. Everything he had been told was just crazy. He couldn't eat in the morning, and he was supposed to be at the training field really early.

The way the guy looked kind of bothered the blond as well. The only visible portion of Kakashi-sensei's face was his right eye. His mouth and nose was covered by a mask, and his left eye was covered by his hitai-ate. It's like the guy didn't want anyone to know anything about him. Wiping the sweat that built up on his brow, Naruto exhaled deeply. The team he was put on was an uphill battle. Yurushi's team seemed to mesh so perfectly. Team Thirteen got along so well, like best friends or something. Team Seven, as best Naruto could tell, would be hard pressed not to kill each other. Naruto didn't like Sasuke, Sakura didn't really like him too much, Sasuke hated everyone, and their Sensei didn't seem to care. It was a mess, but they'd have to figure it out somehow if they were going to pass this test.

With daylight fleeing the sky, Naruto considered taking the time remaining to do some kunai throwing drills. The blond reached a hand into his kunai pouch and withdrew his only preferred weapon. Yurushi's swords were cool and his cousin was really good with them, but when Naruto was offered the opportunity to learn the art of kenjutsu he turned it down. A kunai knife could block just as well as any blade, and it was so much more versatile for attacking. It could slash and stab effectively, it was dual edged, and it could be thrown with accuracy. Sure it didn't have the range, but for a taijutsu fighter a lack of range was already a known issue.

A rustling of a few bushes sounded from behind him, and Naruto turned to see the source. Much to his surprise, Naruto found Mizuki-sensei walking his way toward him. The long haired chūnin wore his hitai-ate proudly in a bandana style, and the man wore a gentle smirk on his face. '_What is Mizuki-sensei doing here? Has he been watching me this whole time?_'

"Sorry if I startled you Naruto," the man said as he approached eyeing the kunai knife Naruto held.

"Nah," Naruto answered scratching the back of his head. "I was just going to start some kunai training when I heard you coming over."

"You look like you've been training pretty hard," Mizuki-sensei remarked. He stood a few meters away from Naruto. The easy smile was disarming, but the genin still felt the man was a little out of place.

'_Why is he here? It's not like we got along at the Academy, and he doesn't know me that well. He is Iruka-sensei's friend, so maybe he's delivering a message. Maybe Iruka-sensei wants to buy me some more ramen tonight!_' Naruto's thoughts of a steaming bowl of his favorite meal were beginning to overwhelm his attentions.

"Well, I don't want to keep you guessing as to why I'm here, so I guess I'll just get right to it," Mizuki said. Naurto dashed his hopes for ramen with Iruka-sensei. Mizuki-sensei was here on business. What that business was exactly, the fresh genin didn't have the slightest clue.

"Naruto," Mizuki addressed as closed the remaining distance and kneeled down to be eyelevel with the blond. "What is your opinion of me?"

"Umm," Naruto thought. It wasn't exactly what he imagined the teacher would ask, but he'd indulge the man. "You're alright I guess. I don't really know you that well, but you're a pretty awesome taijutsu instructor. Iruka-sensei says you're pretty cool, so that makes you alright in my book."

The Academy instructor chuckled dryly "Naruto, have you ever noticed other people who seemed angry at you for no reason?"

"Well," Naruto paused. He feigned thought. The answer was yes, but he didn't want to draw attention to it. He knew the people looked at him with hatred burning in their eyes, and he knew they treated him as if he didn't exist. He didn't know why, but they did. A long time ago Naruto swore to himself that he wouldn't cry about it anymore. He promised that he would get their attention, and sooner or later they would have to recognize him.

"Please," Mizuki prompted, "be honest Naruto."

"Yeah," Naruto admitted in defeat. "Pretty much everyone seems to hate me."

Naruto couldn't explain what he was feeling at the moment, but everything seemed off. He didn't know why this man wanted to talk about this with him. They had no history, no interaction, and no relationship. He was starting to get a little saddened by the thoughts of all the villagers, and angry that Mizuki would bother to talk about this now. The instructor had years at the Academy to make him feel human. The man never bothered to extend himself beyond the job he had to do. Mizuki had no business talking about this. No business at all.

"Have you ever wondered why people treat you that way?" Mizuki asked softly.

"Of course," Naruto breathed harshly.

"If you could find out the reasons, would you want to know?" Mizuki followed up with another question. Naruto met his stare and Mizuki had taken on a strange look. It was a mixture of devious calm and genuine curiosity.

"I don't care," Naruto said firmly as he moved to walk away. Of course he wanted to know, but not from him. There was something wrong with the village or with himself, but Naruto wanted to learn the truth from someone who truly understood what he was going through.

"Really," Mizuki responded with slight shock in his voice. "Not even if I could tell you right now?"

Naruto paused for a moment. He should walk away. In his mind he could hear himself yelling, and screaming to move; to get away from this guy, and from this place. Yet the blue eyed twelve year old stood there, frozen. Hardened eyes stared into the woods beyond the training post. His heart's desire to know the truth may have kept his feet planted, but his anger wouldn't let him look at Mizuki.

"I'll take that as a yes," Mizuki chimed. The rustling of clothes led Naruto to believe that the Academy teacher had stood up once again.

"Tell me Naruto," Mizuki began, "of all the shinobi that have ever lived in the village who would do you look up to the most?"

"Yondaime-sama," Naruto answered honestly while keeping a slight edge to his words. "He killed the Kyūbi. Not even the Shodai could do that."

"That's right," Mizuki responded. His voice sounded happy, too happy, with that answer. "Yondaime-sama was indeed a great shinobi. But what if I told you that he did not actually kill the Kyūbi?"

"You're lying," Naruto turned to shout. That smug grin on Mizuki's face reminded him of Sasuke. He said it as an emotionless statement of fact. Just as one would list the Shinobi Rules, note the color of the sky, or recite multiplication tables. Naruto knew it wasn't true, but the seeds of doubt had been planted. "Iruka-sensei said that-"

"Said what?" Mizuki interrupted. "Did he tell you that the Yondaime sacrificed himself to kill the beast? You see, that makes for a nice little story, but that's all it is: a story."

"Stop lying!" Naruto commanded. Iruka-sensei told him all about the heroic shinobi who bore the title Yondaime Hokage. Namikaze Minato was a genius, the most powerful ninja in the world, and a great protector. Why would Iruka-sensei lie about something like that? Why would every other person adore the late leader if it wasn't true? Why was this man blaspheming the name Hokage? As he stood there, staring down Mizuki's arrogant attitude, he couldn't help but wonder if the man was right.

"It's just a nice little story that parents tell to their children so their kids don't have to worry about the truth," Mizuki rambled on waiving a hand in a flippant manner. "You see Naruto, the truth is quite frightening. The truth is that the Kyūbi lives. It walks among us to this very day, and at any moment it could be freed."

"No," Naruto clutched his hands to his ears. There was nothing worth listening to anymore. Mizuki was spouting lies. He had to be. There is no way that Iruka-sensei would lie to him, and there is no way that the Yondaime had failed to protect the village. Then something clicked in the mind of the blond. "Freed? Freed from what?"

"Ah," Mizuki exhaled his amazement. "You are beginning to believe me."

"No I'm not," Naruto recoiled, "I just was confused by what you meant, that's all."

"Well," Mizuki explained with a knowing grin. Obviously, the Academy teacher didn't buy the bluff. "You need to understand, the bijū cannot be killed. The Kyūbi, and all those like it, can never truly die. If one were to fall in battle then it would simply be reborn some time later."

"Then how did Yondaime-sama defeat it?" Naruto asked. These bijū things sounded kind of crazy. If they can't die, then they would be terrorizing people all across the world all of the time. Konohagakure only had one incident that Naruto had ever heard of. Granted, he didn't read all that much of his history book. That stuff was stupid boring, but Yurushi never mentioned anything about another attack like the one twelve years ago. Mizuki reached into a pouch on his chūnin vest, and Naruto tensed up ready for anything.

"Relax kid," the man said as he withdrew a small scroll, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Unraveled, Naruto could see the various designs and markings all over the parchment. Mizuki held a rather impressive looking sealing scroll, and the blond was completely confused. Scratching his cheek Naruto tried to think of how that made any sense. It couldn't be as easy as sealing the Kyūbi into a scroll and calling it a day. Could it?

"Yondaime-sama sealed the beast away," Mizuki explained. "Much like you would seal away a kunai into this scroll. But it isn't so simple. A bijū is a sentient mass of chakra, and that can't be stored inside something as flimsy as a scroll. He had to seal the beast into a very special container."

Naruto didn't know what to say about this. It made since, or at least the blond figured it did. He didn't really know for certain. "Okay," Naruto hesitated trying to put this puzzle together, but pieces were missing. "Even if you are right, which I don't believe, how does that have anything to do with anything?"

"As clueless as ever," Mizuki quipped as he rolled up his scroll and tucked away into the pouch it had come from. "You see Naruto, the truth is-"

"Mizuki!" A voice shouted from beyond the brush to Naruto's left. The rustling of leaves and foliage gave way to footfalls. Mizuki turned and Naruto shifted his gaze to see Iruka-sensei bursting through the clearing. His kunai was drawn, and it looked ready to fly. "Choose your next words very carefully."

Now the blond just felt lost. Iruka showed up out of nowhere, and it looked like he was going to fight with his friend. "Come now Iruka, I mean no harm. Didn't I tell you that the boy deserves to know who he really is? I remember you agreeing with me on that."

"That may be, but you know the law," Iruka answered sternly. "If you break it, then I will enforce it if I must."

"See Naruto," Mizuki continued unheedingly as he turned to face the boy whose blue eyes watched the chaotic scene develop, "People don't want you to know the truth because they are afraid. The Hokage has hidden the truth from you with laws and decrees. Countless people hate you for something, and they can't tell you what for. Nobody wants you to know what you really are. They fear that if you figured it out, then you would finish the destruction that was started twelve years ago."

"Mizuki," Iruka begged. "Don't make me do this!"

"You see Naruto," Mizuki recited with self-satisfaction written all over his face, "the reason why the villagers and just about everyone in the village hate you is because they know the truth. They know that you are the Kyūbi no Yōko!"

Naruto fell to his knees. Shock had overcome him. With a blank stare he could see Iruka throw his kunai, but it didn't matter. The damage was done. The doubts had ingrained themselves so deeply that the entire outlook on life the blond had come to know was uprooted. There was no denying this. The facts fell into place with this theory. His birthday was the same day as the attack. What little he knew of fūinjutsu by overhearing his cousin's elaborations on the art had confirmed that sealing chakra was a matter of scale. The more you sealed away the more powerful the sealing technique needed to be, and the Yondaime was the best. The truth was inescapable; he was the demon. Dull sounds of battle reached his ears, but it didn't matter. The truth was deafening.

For a few moments Naruto just wasn't sure what was going on. It was as if his world was spinning around him, or perhaps he was the one spinning. He couldn't quite tell which was which, and the whiskered preteen didn't really think it mattered. The world was in chaos, and his worldview was in ruins. The truth was part liberation and part burden. He was the Kyūbi. It explained the anger, and were he in the shoes of the villagers he would be angry too. It explained why he pranked people. Fox spirits were said to be mischievous, and if nothing else Naruto was mischievous.

His entire life was a lie. The Hokage created those lies, Iruka had enforced the lies, and Naruto had believed them. He believed them all. The only question that remained was how many people actually knew. No one else his own age hated him the same way others did. They were annoyed by the antics and ravings the blond would daily engage in, but never expressed a true hatred. Thoughts of his cousin were recurring.

'_Does Yurushi know? Does he hate me? Is he just another lie to keep me in check?_' Naruto thought as the foreground of his vision filled with violence. Mizuki and Iruka were locked in a struggle for dominance, but it didn't matter. The truth was blinding.

"Wait," Mizuki's voice shot through the distracted mind of the blond. The man was struggling against the grip of Konoha's masked protectors. The teacher's fight had been broken up by the black ops forces, but one didn't seem to have given up yet. "I need to tell him something. I need to make sure he's alright.

Sudden movement right in front of him brought blue eyes back into focus. Mizuki neared. The man was bruised and bloodied. His face had been beaten, and yet a smile still adorned it. His left hand grasped his right shoulder where a kunai was deeply embedded. Wearily he walked ever closer, porcelain elites escorting him all the way, until they were towering over the child's collapsed form. Naruto looked behind the men where Iruka was being restrained by another pair of ANBU. All the while, he could see the Hokage watching from a tree branch above. His stern features were telling. The old man was angry. Almost as angry as when Naruto had laced his hat with itching powder.

'_The geezer was scratching his head like crazy. He really did look like a monkey,_' Naruto remembered fondly. Recalling an old prank broke his face from the darkened mood, but his heart was still disturbed.

"Funny thing is," Mizuki's voice bled through the numb feeling that was young blond was trying to shake off. "I used to feel that way too. You see, the villagers believe what they want to believe. They only see what they want to see. For a long time, I was with them."

Mizuki's admission didn't shock Naruto. The guy hated him. What a surprise. There was a pretty big club, and the chūnin instructor was in good company. Naruto really wanted an explanation from Iruka and the Hokage. He wanted to know why he had been lied to for so long.

"But Iruka just wouldn't let me hold onto my anger. He didn't let me live by the preconceived notion that you were a monster. Iruka believed with his whole heart that you weren't a menace, and some of that rubbed off on me," Mizuki explained as he started to offer a hand only to have it firmly grasped by one of the elites nearby. The frustrated look in the teachers face was aimed at the silent defender of the village, but was ignored. "He could use a hand getting back up."

The agent of ANBU looked back toward the Hokage. The old man closed his eyes and exhaled before nodding slightly. Mizuki shrugged the ninja off and stuck out his hand for Naruto to take, but the boy did nothing. For a long while, he was unsure.

Naruto sat, looking at the hand, and then at the hand's owner. There was a smile there. It was true, if not grimacing in pain, but it was real. The man hated him, didn't he? "You see, Naruto, you are no more a demon than I am. You are just a child, trying his best to make his way in the world," Mizuki said waiting for Naruto to take his hand.

Looking behind the injured instructor, Naruto saw his Sensei from the Academy had calmed down. The ANBU had seen fit to release him from their hold, and the scarred chūnin looked on approvingly. Iruka nodded slightly, a signal that the blond could trust Mizuki. His better judgment, his cynical side, told him that no one could be trusted anymore. That small portion was drowned out by the overwhelming desire to believe in the man he had come to know. Iruka-sensei had never steered him wrong before. Even though the lies were there, Iruka-sensei had never sought to hurt him.

Hadn't he? Iruka-sensei had always been there for him. Or had he? Was the man there for him because he had to be? Was his job to keep track of the Kyūbi? No. That couldn't be it. Could it? There were too many questions, too many doubts, and Naruto didn't know what to do with them. He knew what he wanted to believe. He wanted to believe that Iruka-sensei was the man he had always known. Naruto decided to push his reservations aside for now. The blond took hold of Mizuki's hand and rose to his feet.

"I'm sorry Naruto," Mizuki said. "I hated you for something you couldn't control. I was wrong, and I feared your power. You don't have to forgive me, just know that I am sorry."

"M-Mi-Mizuki-sensei," Naruto stuttered. "I forgive you."

The words eked out of him. Hesitant, because in his heart he was trying to believe what he was saying. He couldn't stop himself from saying the words though. Naruto forgave him. How could he not? Mizuki had told him the truth, and was genuine in his sorrow for his thoughts. A smile broached the chūnin's face. He mouthed the words thank you as the ANBU guard pulled him away. Iruka approached, and the two teachers exchanged words as they passed one another. Naruto's Sensei kneeled down and rested a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Listen, Naruto," Iruka began. "I want you to know that I never once stopped believing in you. You are like a brother to me, and I will always be here to support you."

"Why?" Naruto asked keeping the frustration in check. "If that's true, then why did you lie to me all this time?"

Iruka sighed deeply and his head dipped down. "There's a lot of explaining that I have to do, and it's a long story. The short of it is that I had to. Hokage-sama hoped that kid's your age would treat you normally if they didn't know the truth. I wasn't just lying to you. Everyone who wasn't there that night believes that Yondaime-sama killed the Kyūbi. You are my precious student, and it hurt me inside every time I had to lie, but the truth is a powerful thing. If kids your age had known the truth, then how much worse do you think school would have been?"

Naruto scoffed a bit. The answer was obvious. He barely understood the situation the Yondaime had put him in. A demon of incredible power was locked away inside him. Adults silently hated him because they didn't understand. How much more drastically would kids like him react? A lot more, without a doubt.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions, so how about you and I go grab some ramen?" Iruka offered. "It'll be my treat, and we can talk."

Naruto stood for a moment as Iruka beckoned. He wasn't too sure. His trust had been shaken, but everything that he knew and everything that he believed told Naruto to go with his Sensei. With hesitation still in his steps, the blond followed. Iruka-sensei had always been trustworthy, but a new side of the man had been revealed. He wanted to believe in Iruka-sensei, but there were some questions that needed answers. So the freshly minted genin followed his Sensei.

'_Iruka-sensei said he's buying, and who am I to turn down free ramen?_' Naruto thought as he walked, hoping that he could once again trust the man he had looked up to. That was the real problem though. He didn't know what he needed to ask, or what his Sensei would need to say for him to know if he could believe in the man again. He huffed a little at the weight of his task. Just like his new team, this too would be an uphill battle.

* * *

His hand was wet, slick with blood. He couldn't feel much of his right arm, and what he could feel was in pain. It was likely a tear of his rotator cuff, and if he was lucky it would only be partial. Iruka had been serious, but not as serious as he threatened. An injury like this was far from fatal, but it could end a career nonetheless. Still, Mizuki had learned what he wanted to know. That alone was worth it. For now, at least, his curiosity had been satiated.

He shambled his way over toward the woods and the village proper. All the way the agents of the Hokage were forcibly leading him onward. The porcelain masks bore no emotion, but their unseen eyes were ever judging. He broke the law, and the judgment was death. The only reason he had lived so far was by the whim of their leader. His Hokage stood on a branch of a nearby tree. His eyes were fierce. A swift movement, so fast it went unseen, and the elderly leader stood in front of him.

One hand grabbed his arm, and another twisted the kunai still embedded in his shoulder. Mizuki felt his body being tossed like a ragdoll, until he was slammed into the trunk of a mighty tree driving the air from his lungs. It was a subtle, yet impressive display of power. Mizuki didn't even see the man until he had been grabbed. His pain was stemmed by the ever growing fear of death, but he did not resist. The law was broken, and he was powerless against the Hokage. Even before Iruka disabled him, Mizuki knew he couldn't stand against the Kami no Shinobi. The blade once lodged into his shoulder was now pressed against his neck, as the Hokage pinned him against the tree.

"Give me one reason why I should let you live," the leader demanded. His breath was as fire against Mizuki's neck. It was a product of a rage, tactfully withheld, but dangerously focused.

"Because," Mizuki coughed as he tried to refill his lungs with air. The pressure behind the elder's killing intent was suffocating. Even without utilizing the vast library of techniques the Hokage had in his arsenal, the man was fearsome. "Naruto needed to know."

"Needed to know what?" The elder hissed as he pressed the blade closer against Mizuki's neck. The instructor couldn't tell if it had broken the skin yet or was just threatening to, but he knew it was best not to further anger the village leader.

"He needed to know that I was sorry," Mizuki answered. It was true. He had to tell the boy. The only way that it would make any difference or bear any real meaning was if Naruto knew the truth about the Kyūbi. The kunai eased slightly, but the threat was still very real as he was pressed against the bark.

"You could have put the entire village in danger," the Hokage proclaimed. "You were provoking him. You were trying to elicit an emotional response from Naruto. I told you the seal was secure and you were testing its limits."

"It felt prudent," Mizuki responded. "The boy will be goaded in the field. His emotional restraint will be tested in more dire ways than what I just did. If he can't control himself, then we'll be putting the entire village in danger either way."

The Hokage sighed deeply and released his hold on Mizuki. The chūnin dropped to his hands and knees. He was more injured than he had first imagined. His arm gave way to his own weight and Mizuki face planted into the dirt. A hand grasped his shoulder once more, but this time, the Hokage lifted him up and helped him stand. Together they began to walk back to the village.

"There will always be a danger for Naruto," the older ninja finally said as the pair traversed the vast forests of Konoha. "I have done all I know to do in order to protect him, but all I did was give the boy reasons to mistrust the village. I pray that he grows to be a much better Hokage than I have been."

"We are all responsible for him," Mizuki thought out loud. "His failures are our failures, but I'm sure that he will become a great Hokage."

The wilily old man arched an eyebrow at Mizuki, clearly a little surprised by the teacher's change of heart. It wasn't overnight, but the change was genuine. It wasn't necessarily about Naruto either, but Iruka had helped him refocus his philosophical framework. His long-time friend helped him to rediscover what it truly meant to be shinobi. It wasn't about power, or wealth, or prestige. It was, and always had been, about service. Protecting those who could not protect themselves and leading the next generation into the future; that was the duty of the shinobi.

Tonight was a measure of that. Naruto would always be a wild card. The power he held could be either the greatest defense Konoha had, or it would be their doom. Control would be the determining factor in what fate played out.

"In time of course," Mizuki clarified. "That kid is still far too much a goofball to be the Hokage anytime soon."

"Of course," The Hokage concurred. "You'll likely be unable to participate in the Jōnin Exams this year with an injury like that."

"Yeah," Mizuki sighed. Hopefully the injury wouldn't be the end of his career. Luckily he was left-handed, but many complex hand seal sequences would be near impossible if he couldn't fully recover. "To be quite honest, if Iruka could beat me that easily then I'm not ready for the exams yet."

"Rest, recover, and then prepare yourself mind and body," the old leader advised. "Also, don't ever give me another reason to kill you. I don't pleasure myself in death and violence, but I can't take kindly to traitors and law breakers anymore."

"Of course not Hokage-sama," as Mizuki was led to the hospital by his commander, silence encompassed them. Things had forever changed for the village this evening. The truth had been made known, and Konoha would never be the same again. For better or for worse only time would tell.

* * *

They had been wasting time at this point. Dancing around the issue wasn't making anything better, and Teuchi was wiping down the countertop for the fifth time in the past ten minutes. It was a subtle way of telling them to leave. The exhausted teacher had hoped the blond would cut to the chase. That way he could just get it over with like ripping off a bandage. Naruto had been unusually subdued, only talking when prompted to, and never easing into his usually chatty mood.

"Can I get you two anything else," the chef asked politely knowing that the pair were long done dining. Well, Iruka was. Naruto was polishing off what must have been his tenth bowl, but the scarred shinobi had stopped keeping track after five. There was no point in trying.

"Just the check Teuchi-san," Iruka requested before catching a glance at his student. Former student now, he mentally corrected. Naruto had graduated and was on his way to becoming a fine shinobi. That would take some getting used to.

He sighed. Kakashi wouldn't make that easy though. The man was notorious for failing his genin squads. There had been several hopefuls that were sent back to the Academy after encountering the silver-haired jōnin. Naruto would overcome; that much he knew. The prankster had a knack for defying the odds. Whether it was due to latent talent making its way to the surface or Naruto simply had an obnoxious amount of luck, Iruka knew that the boy would meet whatever challenge he was faced with.

"You've been pretty quiet over there," the teacher stated as he withdrew the money needed to pay the bill. The chef returned hastily and handed him the paper. A teacher's salary was not enough to feed Naruto on a regular basis. Iruka was secretly little ashamed to say he was glad Naruto wouldn't be around as often. He could finally start saving some of his earnings for a change.

"Yeah," the kid responded blandly, setting his chopsticks down.

"Just go ahead and say what's on your mind. I can understand how you feel, and I want to help," Iruka encouraged.

"You lied to me," Naruto's voice scratched out the statement and it clawed its way to Iruka's ears. It hurt. It hurt him just as much as it hurt the boy. Over the years, Naruto had grown on him. Sure, he was annoying and could be a real pain, but the kid had a good heart. Having such a positive outlook on life after living through tragedy day in and day out made it difficult for him to not grow to appreciate Naruto.

"I did," Iruka confirmed solemnly. "That's something I'm not proud of either, but it was an order."

"That doesn't make it right," Naruto replied with some heat.

"No, it doesn't," he agreed catching the boy's attention. "When you're in charge like Hokage-sama is, you have to make hard choices. Sometimes, when you face a big problem that has to be dealt with immediately you don't have time to think about what the consequences of those hard choices are. You do things that you believe are best for everyone, and sometimes you learn later on that you've made big mistakes. Owning your mistakes is part of being a leader."

"But that doesn't make it right!" The blond shouted. Iruka placed his hand on the boy's shoulder which drew a deep scowl.

"You're right Naruto," the teacher said once more. "I'm sorry for what I did. Lying to you was wrong, but you need to understand that I believed that it was what was best at the time. The Hokage believed that nobody who didn't already know the truth of what happened that night needed to learn it. Not until the day that you were ready to tell them."

"Why me?" The genin wondered. It was a fair question, but not one that he knew the answer to.

"I don't know why Yondaime-sama chose you to carry this burden," he admitted. There was much about that night that remained a mystery, but he had formed his own ideas over the years. After getting to know Naruto he had come to a pretty solid conclusion as to why the blond was picked to be the jinchūriki. "I like to think that when he found you that night he knew that you were strong enough to take it."

"You really think so?" The whisker marked boy seemed surprised at that idea. "You really mean it?"

"Of course," Iruka exclaimed. "I think Yondaime-sama could tell that you were strong, and in a way, I think he was choosing you to be Hokage someday."

"Honest?" Naruto held some skeptic reservations, but Iruka couldn't be more serious. As the blond genin grew as a shinobi and as a young man, he was certain that the kid would more than live up to that assessment.

"Absolutely," Iruka smiled as he tousled the kid's hair.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naurto moaned with annoyance.

"Come on," the teacher prompted his student as he stood to leave. "Let's get you back home. You've got a pretty big day ahead of you I hear."

"Yeah I do!" Naruto remarked joyfully as the boy darted to Iruka's side.

As they walked toward the apartment complex the boy called home, Iruka smiled. Naruto was talking all about his new team, new Sensei, and this test that he was going to take in the morning. The boy was like him in so many ways. An aspect of Naruto was very dark and cynical, but more than anything the child wanted to be accepted for something. Iruka had gone through much the same thing growing up, and the one thing about being alone is that it leaves you thirsty. There was always a thirst and a longing to know that people out there cared and believe in you.

The boy may not know it, and his faith may have been shaken, but Naruto had droves of people that believed in him. They believed in him and his dream, and that was the truth of things.

* * *

Silently the door crept open. The utter darkness that shrouded the room was not a hindrance, but light was not necessary. Memory would suffice for navigating the humble bedroom. After all, only one task remained before he could slip into blissful sleep.

With the confidence of familiarity he strode across the room. The desktop was relatively cluttered, but wedged between a layer of papers and open scrolls the leather binding felt cool in his hand. Setting it upon the top most layer of papers and parchment, he flew through well practiced hand seals. Releasing the chakra, and the locks, he flipped through the pages of the well-worn book. Page two hundred and fifty seven had sufficient space enough for this brief entry.

Reaching toward the edge of the desk he picked up a pencil. Putting it to the page he thought for a moment. Why was he writing now? It didn't make sense. Yet, the abnormality of the event did not stay his hand. The lead drug across the page with short simple motions, and without cause or care he wrote. It was compulsion, and it was completely maddening. To ignore the desire only made it worse.

_The jinchūriki knows what he is. The seal has incredible strength. Heightened emotions may not be enough. The boy has a fair amount of restraint, and his training will only improve his control. He has not shown signs of being able to consciously tap into the power he hosts, and if he is alone he will be vulnerable. For the time being, he is safe and well protected. How things will change, I don't know._

Closing the book and setting the pencil down, he sealed the book once again. There was no reason to write. He also shouldn't be using a jutsu that he didn't fully understand, but here he was doing it anyway. Suddenly, light flooded the room. He turned to see what the cause was, knowing the likely answer.

"Tsubaki," he said as the tired looking woman eased a hand away from the light and lowered her kunai knife.

"Mizuki," she answered wearily. "What are you doing?"

"Just writing a quick journal entry," Mizuki answered with a grin. Her hair was a bit of a mess and her countenance was written with confusion. She looked cute like that. "I didn't want to wake you."

"I was getting worried, and you're injured," she said gently as she crossed the bed room and snaked her arms around him, holding him close. Her hand grazed over the sling that propped up his almost useless arm. He could use his hand for simple tasks well enough, but the rest of the arm was dead weight for now. "What happened?"

"It was nothing to worry about. Just an accident while training with Iruka," Mizuki lied. Even though it wasn't the truth, Iruka would soon apologize and together they'd overlook the ordeal. He placed a hand to the back of his lover's head. Her black hair was silk. He drank in the scent. She smelled of camellia oils. She was beautiful, and so much more than he deserved.

"Mmm," she hummed in understanding. "I told you he was better than he lets on."

"Yeah," Mizuki chuckled. "I'll keep my guard up next time."

"Well, we should get you to bed," she suggested and she pulled herself from their embrace. "You'll need to rest so you can recover."

He didn't care for how she tried to pamper him. He was a shinobi, not some child. That never stopped her from trying. Her nature was caring, and her call was to nurture. She was not fit for the life of a kunoichi. Everything a ninja was went against her very being. So even though he couldn't stand how she tried to coddle him, he would allow it. Just this once.

Easing into the comfort of the mattress and enjoying the warm presence of the woman he loved. Mizuki pushed aside the troubling thoughts about his journal, the incident on the training grounds, and the thoughts of Naruto. He fell in step with the soft rhythm of Tsubaki's breathing and within each other's arms Mizuki fell into his deep and compelling dreams.

'_Truth has power,_' Mizuki thought as his consciousness faded away, '_even when it remains unknown._'


	14. Drawing First Blood

**Chapter 14: Drawing First Blood**

"Those who play with the devil's toys will be brought by degrees to wield his sword." - R. Buckminster Fuller

* * *

Yurushi was tossing around in his sleep. The boy was mumbling in a slight panic. He begged and pleaded with some invisible assailant to stop. Shooting up with kunai in hand the boy was ready to face the phantom threat. A thick sheen of sweat coated his face and he took several moments to collect himself. Eventually he rose to his feet and disappeared into the small lavatory afforded to the patrons of the inn. Kenshi slept, completely undisturbed.

Hayate waited on the window sill watching the sun continue to fly above the horizon. His students had worked hard the past two days. Collectively they hadn't gotten very far, but they had collected a lot of information from a variety of sources. The elder of the village, Nanushi, had been rather standoffish when the investigation was aimed toward him. The wizened old leader masked it well, but he was nervous about something.

Noboru had been all too helpful in every aspect of the investigation so far. The man had surrendered every note he had taken and every scrap of evidence he had collected concerning Yukimo's disappearance. Hayate had begun to formulate a theory as to what happened, but needed to spend some time interviewing the only law enforcement of the village. If he could put the screws to Noboru, Hayate was certain he could piece together the rest of this mystery. He would let his students do their little job so long as he felt they were all safe from major harm.

This issue was he didn't feel that way. Nanushi made him uneasy. The eyes of old men see much, and this old man had a past of colored characters and less than noble associations. The issue was how much involvement the man had, both in his former village and in his long dead cult. Obviously the past was buried deep enough for the villagers to have no qualms of the man, but something had been bringing it all to the surface. Nanushi's daughter had gotten caught in the mess, and now lives were at stake.

The elder would have to come clean sooner or later. Hayate hoped that the elder's involvement was nothing more than that of a victim, but it would take a twisted mind to destroy their own child.

"Sensei?" Yurushi's voice seemed surprised.

"You were late for our morning exercises," the jōnin explained as he shifted his focus to the redhead.

"Late?" The boy was beside himself. The kid probably hadn't been late for anything in his life.

"Don't worry about it," he brushed off the genin's concerns. "You all were working hard the past couple of days. Besides, we still have time before we need to be anywhere."

The redhead began to rush around and gather his belongings. Hayate cleared his throat before the young Uzumaki could wake his sleeping partner, which made Yurushi pause before acting. "Your nightmares are becoming more frequent," he began. It was the duty of a Sensei to ensure the health and wellbeing of their students, but after a year of being a Sensei Hayate found himself taking his duties and responsibilities as more of a pleasure than he had before. These children were more than his students now. They had become like family to him, and though it had not been his intention, it was something that he rather enjoyed. This was why young Yurushi was troubling him right now. He had seen that manner of restlessness before, and such a struggle was never meant for one so young. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No," the boy answered curtly. Of course it was a sensitive topic. There was nothing easy about what he had done, and there would be no easy resolutions. Especially if the boy was going to clam up and refuse help. It was an admirable thing to solve one's own problems and not burden another with personal issues, but some things require help.

"The guilt of taking a life isn't something you should struggle with alone," Hayate offered knowing his student wouldn't take him up on it. Not yet at least. He wouldn't force the boy. When Yurushi was ready to talk he would start that conversation without prompting.

"There's nothing to talk about," the edge to the boy's voice was evidence enough of discomfort, even though Hayate couldn't see his student's face.

"Alright," he breathed. Good conscience wouldn't let his student suffer the guilt of having killed an enemy. Not at least without establishing himself as someone that would incline an ear and lend a hand without judgment. "Get Kenshi up and the two of you get ready. Hanami and I are waiting for you downstairs.

Taking his leave, Hayate's train of thought changed gears. Today they had to change things up with the investigation. The team would speak with Nanushi one more time, and he would make the most of that event. Few people were able to spot the difference between himself and his Kage Bunshin, and fewer people were skilled enough to notice when he had made one. Infiltrating the personal study of the village leader would reveal all of the information that he needed to know.

After that the group would have to split up. Hanami and Yurushi would finish interviewing the rest of the citizenry. Meanwhile he would take Kenshi and comb over the place of Yumiko's disappearance one more time. Noboru stated that he wanted to accompany the ninja when they next went, and while Hayate didn't want that man around he was put into a situation. The elder had insisted on such collaboration, and to ignore the request would be like spitting in the face of the hospitality Yokkaichi village had shown. Politics.

The swordsman sighed as he neared the female member of Team Thirteen. He had a bad feeling about this one.

* * *

"I must thank you all for your diligent work," the feeble voice praised from where he stood in the garden. They all bowed deeply in response to the elder's words. The man looked positively ancient, but perhaps that was to be expected. After all, the title wasn't bestowed on those in their youth. "I hope that Noboru was able to help in your search and not be of any hindrance."

"Of course not Nanushi-sama," Sensei replied. "I simply apologize that our efforts have not yet born fruit."

"These things take time," a furrowed brow nodded in recognition. "It has not yet been a week since my daughter disappeared. I know that as each hour passes our chances of finding her lessen, but I will not give up hope."

"And we shall not abandon our search Nanushi-sama," Sensei returned. As expected, Hayate-sensei and Kenshi took this moment to leave, but not before a knowing glance and a nod of affirmation was sent his way. Yurushi knew his task. He and Hanami were charged with retracing Yumiko's steps for what must have been the tenth time in the past couple of days. Sure, by this point they were unlikely to uncover new evidence but another check couldn't hurt.

'_It wasn't like we're turning up any leads elsewhere,_' Yurushi inwardly groaned at what seemed to be futile actions. He then schooled himself as best he could. Sensei was thorough if nothing else, and perhaps a bit nosey as well, but well intentioned enough. The Uzumaki had been thrown off kilter for a moment when the jōnin began talking about things that were best forgotten, but willing to admit that he appreciated the concern.

Still, it changed nothing. The past, like the dead, should stay buried.

Hand signals were subtly made, instructing his female partner to interview the elder's attendants. She swiftly departed, leaving the teen with the elderly man. Well, if only for a moment. The elder, Nanushi-sama as he was better known, had already hobbled his way from the tranquility of his garden to the interior of the house. For an old cripple he moved quickly. Too quickly. Questions were forming in his mind.

'_How can a man who can barely walk with a cane clear a ten meter distance without even a sound of struggle or effort?_' The riddle rolled around in his mind as he followed after the village leader. The door slid open to find the white haired man preparing himself a cup of tea at his dining room table.

The room had a charming regality to it. The hardwood fixtures, chairs, and tables were finely sanded to a smooth finish and beautifully stained. It preserved the rich grains and patterns to be found in the wood, but gave a darker earthen tone to the off-white and parchment colored décor. Rather bland, but it seemed to fit the man of simple tastes who would rather enjoy quality tea than anything of material value.

"Close the door," the elder commanded gently without bothering to see if there was actually someone to talk to. Yurushi did as instructed and turned to find the old man pointing to an empty chair at the other side of the table. "I have a few questions for you."

"And as I'm sure you know, I have questions for you," the redhead answered taking a seat across the weathered face. From this vantage point Nanushi almost looked like Hokage-sama. The elder may only be a handful of years the senior to the most powerful ninja in the world, but their experiences in life were much the same. Their eyes bore the same intense focus and unwavering resolve.

"Tell me this," Nanushi started. Yurushi knew that he should probably be asking the questions right now, but was in no way about to disrespect the village elder. He would wait and gather what he could glean from their private discussion before starting his own interrogations. "Why was your Sensei sneaking into my private study the past few nights?"

"I-ah-well," the teenage genin was taken aback for a moment. He had no idea that Hayate-sensei was doing such a thing. Was the leader of the village a suspect? "I'm sure he had good reasons."

"Hmmph," the elder scoffed. "Good reasons indeed. I may be old, but I am no fool. He suspects me of foul play. Am I not right? Your Sensei thinks me to be involved in my daughter's disappearance!"

"With all due respect Nanushi-sama, the shinobi is trained to be suspicious of everyone," the teen answered bowing as deeply as he could from his seated position. "As shinobi we must accomplish the mission and rescue your daughter no matter who is to blame."

"Yes, failure is not an option for shinobi, but there is doubt in your voice," Nanushi noted with an arched eyebrow. The wily old man had a gleam in his dark eyes, and it made Yurushi slightly uncomfortable. The young swordsman was beginning to think that the village elder may be something more than what he had appeared to be. "You hold reservations about your mission, or about your profession. I wonder what your Sensei would say about that?"

"He would remind me that the shinobi must never question the cause of their village, for doubt erodes the will and the will is one of the ninja's greatest weapons," Hayate-sensei's words wafted through his mind. "As a ninja of Konohagakure I am an extension of the Hokage's will. I am both the sword and shield of my village, and for the safety of my village I must be willing to fight and die. If I doubt, if I falter, then the village could fall."

"And yet still you struggle with doubt," the eyes of the elderly man were fixed on him, reading him as an open scroll. Yurushi was completely uncomfortable, but tried not to show it. "Not doubting your cause, but doubting yourself hmm?"

At the risk of being entirely rude, the boy stood to leave. This conversation had gotten beyond his control. The elder could see too much about him, and was able to discern his struggles with startling accuracy. It was one thing for Hayate-sensei to do that but for a perfect stranger to know so much left Yurushi feeling exposed. With a short bow, Yurushi wordlessly excused himself.

"Your Sensei," Nanushi continued as the redhead slid the door open, "Kyuzo-san, would be disappointed."

He stopped. Dozens of things raced through his mind. How did Nanushi know that name? When did he hear it? How had the elder connected him to _Kyuzo_? Did he know that _Kyuzo_ was really his former caretaker? Was Nanushi one of the spies and shadows that had worried Katsushiro-sensei so much? Could the elder be a former contact, or was he a threat? If so, how big of a threat was he? How could he possibly deal with such a threat? These questions needed answers, but the young Uzumaki was so concerned of the possibilities that he could barely keep his rising fear in check.

Fear of being discovered. Fear of putting Katsushiro-sensei at risk. Fear of being hunted down just like his mother. Fear that they would find Naruto as well.

"There is no use in hiding it," the village leader stated matter-of-factly. Yurushi cut him a hard glare from over his left shoulder and found the man sipping at his tea unconcerned. "I can see him in your stance and in your posture. The Saya of the wakizashi you wield bears the marks of his craftsmanship. You were his pupil."

"I was," Yurushi admitted begrudgingly just beneath a breath. He was. It sounded like a death knell. He was no longer a samurai. He was a ninja now. There was no doubt that his former Sensei may hold some measure of disappointment over how complete the transition had become, but truth be told, that sentiment may have existed long before coming to Konoha. The teachings of his master were perverted by his hands long before they parted ways. Embracing the path of the shinobi would allow him freedom from care over his lost honor, or a death worthy of redemption.

"There is no shame in being a shinobi," the elder remarked. "Fighting in the service of your village is much the same as fighting in the service of the Daimyo."

"How can there be honor in killing so needlessly and with no remorse?" The teen questioned staring outside the door. Across the length of the garden, Hanami was talking to a woman who was caring a small sack. The way her white hair flowed in a breeze was like watching an avalanche from a distance. It was a mixture of purity and lethality. She was innocent now, but it was only a matter of time. She would sink to his level, and so would Kenshi.

"Needlessly? Perhaps so," Nanushi coughed slightly. Yurushi turned back around to see the elder set the cup of tea back on the table and rise to his feet again. "But if you are to become an honorable shinobi, then there will always be remorse. Always."

"An honorable shinobi?" The genin asked sarcastically. That was an oxymoron if he had ever heard one. Even so, the more he rolled the idea around in his head the more Yurushi enjoyed the thought of becoming a ninja worthy of respect.

"You will find that there are many that exist," Nanushi confirmed. "We are the ones that are desperately clinging to our humanity. Even as the world tries to peel it from our bones, we endure. Now stop standing there with the door open and find my daughter."

"Of course Nanushi-sama," Yurushi bowed once more before leaving. The door now shut, the redhead moved to rejoin his partner as something clicked. The last words the elder spoke suggested that he was a shinobi. That made things interesting. Perhaps that was what Sensei was investigating. Just another piece of the puzzle that needed solving.

* * *

The village was lively. Every time they stopped to conduct their investigations people wanted to talk to the young shinobi. The children wanted to play games, the men spoke of daily business shifting with a nervous air, women wanted to gossip about every little thing, and the elderly wanted to recount their life stories. It got old real quick. At the very least, noon was approaching. Hanami was glad that lunch would bring a bit of a break. There was only so much longer she felt that she could maintain her overly polite personality.

Social decorum was one of the many things that she had learned at home, and her father had stressed the importance of the numerous lessons she received. It was a universal skill, he would say, something that goes beyond the work of kunoichi. Her father had taught her much about being a shinobi, but always made time to teach her something that went beyond the ninja world.

Despite the overly chatty people, the town was quite lovely. The lessons on acting like a lady had served her well, but not as well as she would like. They hadn't learned anything definitive. For every five people that the team talked to there were seven opinions on what really happened. The most popular was the idea that Yumiko had run away, but a secret affair was a close second. While the theories were many, the relevant facts were few. Nobody really recalled much about that day, or at least it was nothing of value.

The investigation would probably go smoother if Yurushi would take the time to voice his suspicions instead of mulling about. The boy was a silent type for sure. He had a sort of discipline about him that just let you know he was good for his age. Hanami brushed a lock of her snow white hair back behind her ear. She was good for her age too, but Yurushi was just so confident. His self-assurance kept him from hesitating during those critical situations. It was a mindset Hanami wished she had on many occasions over the past year.

'_At least he isn't arrogant like Neji,_' she thought as the pair of genin walked down the northern road. It would lead out of the village and eventually they could veer off toward where the elder's daughter had supposedly vanished.

Yurushi's silence bothered her though. It felt different than it had before. Almost as if he was distracted by something else. She hoped he would feel like chatting over some food. Lunch was starting to sound pretty good right about now, and her feet were dying for a rest.

'_I wonder how Kenshi-kun and Sensei are getting along. I hope they're having better luck than we are,_' the teenage ninja hoped as they neared the end of the road. They probably weren't. Four days in and their combined efforts had been a complete bust.

"There is a place that makes some great yakisoba near the end of the road," Yurushi said out of nowhere while pointing toward the suggested restaurant. "That is your favorite isn't it?"

"Yeah," Hanami let her answer drag out. She was a little startled by the sudden communication from her partner. "It's a festival dish though. Do you think they'll serve it right now?"

"They might," Yurushi answered. "Noboru said that the harvest festival was in about a month, so they might be working out their recipe for this year."

Hanami shrugged. It sounded plausible, and having her favorite dish for lunch would really help her relax a bit. The mission was frustrating, and nothing helped ease the mind quite like comfort food. She hadn't realized just how much the redheaded swordsman paid attention. She remembered mentioning that yakisoba was her favorite just once, and only in passing. It was a shame that her partner had known so much about her, but she knew so little about him.

In the Academy he was to himself, and there were only a handful of people who went out of their way to interact with him. He just joined at a time when the cliques were closed and everyone already settled into a familiar routine. The only real change of pace the arrival of the genius Uzumaki caused was a schism in the Neji fan club. Hanami always enjoyed listening to all of Tenten's jokes aimed towards the girls who played ninja. Still, Yurushi's life before the village was always a mystery. He was a mystery.

"So you sound like you knew about this place already," Hanami thought of words to choose as the teammates walked toward the restaurant. She didn't want to presume a right to know his personal life, but she wanted to learn a bit more about her quiet partner. "Have you been here before?"

"Once," Yurushi answered as he opened the door waiting for her to enter, "a long time ago."

'_Well, that was really vague,_' Hanami thought as she took a seat at an empty table.

A young woman came to the table just as Yurushi took a seat. She couldn't have been much older than sixteen, but her small frame and less than noticeable curves made her appear to be younger. Her smile was sweet, but practiced. Yurushi's fierce gaze and noticeable armaments probably frightened the waitress. This town was a stark difference to Konoha. Civilians back home didn't think anything was amiss when a ninja walked up carrying several different instruments of death. It was just a normal part of life.

"Welcome to Bokujō Monogatari," the waitress said with a cautious hesitation. "What can I get for you today?"

"Are you serving yakisoba?" The young kunoichi asked. "My teammate here said that this restaurant had the best in the village."

"That's not exactly what I-" Yurushi started.

"I'll check with the chef to see if he can accommodate you. We really only serve it during the festival. It seems less special when you see it all the time, but he might make an exception for you," the young woman answered before Yurushi could object.

"Oh, there's no need to go out of your way for us," Hanami replied. That was the truth. It wasn't like she would ever receive any back at home. Being a shinobi was a calling. It was one of duty, and there was honor in service. It was not, however, a license to act superior. Her father had always emphasized the importance to remember her place as a shinobi, and like most of her father's lessons, Hanami had taken it to heart. Each lesson carried a weight to it. Sometimes it was easier to remember the burden than what was taught.

"No it's fine," the waitress answered gently. "You are shinobi searching for Yukimo-sama. We will do anything we can do to help you with your search, even if it is just to get you a special dish for lunch."

Hanami and Yurushi thanked her as she walked away. Turning back around, the snowy haired girl found her partner seemingly deep in thought. The redhead always acted real chummy with Kenshi, but it was like he was walking on glass when she was around. The young kunoichi gave up trying to figure him out, but hoped that he would come out of the shell he lived in. There wasn't much point in pressing him to divulge his past.

'_He'll talk about it if he feels like it,_' Hanami thought as she waited. '_Besides, it's hard enough just trying to piece together the kind of guy he is now without getting involved in whatever he was back then._'

The waitress returned with another practiced smile on her face. Yurushi obviously made her uneasy, but it didn't stop her from doing her job. It was an admirable quality, and something that Hanami felt she lacked. Sensei said that she was making good progress, but the violet eyed genin didn't feel it. Perhaps, this was just one of those things that couldn't be trained, but had to be innate. She prayed that at the very least she would find a way to emulate the waitress, and muster the courage to do whatever her job was no matter the challenge. This was the path that she had chosen, and she wanted to prove herself worthy of her father's name.

"The chef said that he can make some yakisoba-ban for you. He said he hasn't perfected his recipe for this year," the woman said apologetically. Hanami spared a glance at her partner to see if he thought that was acceptable. He wore a face that she could only imagine was mirroring her own. She nodded in a silent answer to his unspoken question.

"That is perfectly fine," Yurushi answered. "We'll take two please, and if we could we'd like to thank the chef in person."

"Certainly," the waitress answered. "Would you like tea while you wait?"

"Please," Yurushi answered with a nod.

The waitress disappeared with a bit less caution and more confidence in her step. A polite word and an easy going demeanor disarmed her. It never ceased to amaze Hanami how much a person can change with just the right response. The proper approach can ease a person's fears, get them to leave their guard down, and even allow for measures of trust. This was why polity was such a constant aspect in her training at home. A ninja could use a measure of trust to gain all kinds of information from an unsuspecting source.

"So," Hanami said slowly. "What do you think of the case so far?"

No immediate response came. Yurushi just sat there as if he were trying to count the cracks in the wall behind her. There weren't any, but that didn't seem to matter to the boy. "I'm not so sure. There is something odd about the elder. I'm not sure he can be trusted."

"Do you really think that he would do something to harm his own daughter?" Hanami balked. The idea was ridiculous, but Yurushi was no fool. He had his reasons to suspect the village leader, but his suspicions had to be little more than simple suspicion. His record when it came to sniffing out schemes like that wasn't exactly high.

"No," the Uzumaki shook his head. "I don't think he would knowingly bring harm to anyone, but I don't entirely trust the man. He knows too much, and I think he knows more about what is going on here than he is letting on. He said that Sensei was spying on him at night."

"Seriously?" Hanami whispered. "Why would Sensei do that?"

"I don't know," Yurushi replied. "I think he was a ninja, or he still is."

"You're crazy. You saw the way he walks around." Hanami replied. "He can hardly move without a cane."

Yurushi shrugged his shoulders. He didn't seem concerned by her evidence, but didn't want to argue his theory any more. He had accepted it as fact, but to her it was stupid. Still, if he wasn't going to debate then she wasn't going to start one. "What do you think of Noboru-san?"

"He walks like a shinobi," Yurushi answered. "Then there were the stories that he has only lived here for eight years, and had some military training."

"I've heard some similar stuff from the elder's attendants," Hanami admitted. "I agree he's had some measure of training, but do you really think it's a problem that he hasn't lived here as long as some of the other people?"

"It could be if you think about it," the redhead began. "Noboru arrives in the village eight years ago. He has no skill as a farmer, and needs work. He takes odd jobs here and there to get by, but isn't doing well. Then the bandits arrive and start causing problems. Noboru uses his training as a shinobi and defends the town, and in return the elder makes him Chief of Security."

"That's a stretch," Hanami waived off his theory. "It's all circumstantial. Noboru-san has no connection to the bandits other than the nearness of their arrival. The bandits don't even come by that often, and when they do it's just for the festival."

"There were some farmers that said before Noboru there were no bandits at all," Yurushi answered with a spark in his eyes. "If the elder was a shinobi, then maybe he has something Noboru wants. Taking the job as Chief of Security would grant him access to the elder, his home, and his personal affects with greater frequency than the rest of the village. But, he hasn't found it by conventional methods, and that is when he begins to court the elder's daughter hoping to gain his trust. Nanushi-sama doesn't buy into it, and Noboru still can't find what he is searching for."

"Ninja or not, what could this town, let alone the elder have that he could possibly want?" Hanami hissed quietly. There wasn't anything of value here, at least not to a shinobi.

"I know for certain that Nanushi-sama is familiar with shinobi life," Yurushi answered. "Perhaps he has a kinjutsu, or some sort of hidden knowledge. Either way, Noboru isn't getting what he wants and so one of two things happen."

"What might those two things be?" Hanami mocked. This whole scenario was farfetched, and she was just humoring her teammate at this point. At least he was talking now.

"Either Noboru used the bandits to kidnap Yukimo-san," Yurushi explained. "Or, Nanushi-sama had her taken somewhere to protect her, and this whole mission is just a ploy."

"If this mission is a scam, then why would they have requested Sensei specifically?" Hanami asked curious to see if the conspiracy theorist of Team Thirteen had a reason for everything.

"I don't know yet," Yurushi answered leaning back into his chair. He looked stumped. Like he was shown something that he had been searching for, but had overlooked it as it rested right under his nose.

Silence again reigned over them as they waited for their food. Noon was drawing closer, and they needed to move quickly so they didn't keep Sensei waiting. Hanami wondered what Hayate-sensei had discovered, and what kind of theory he had. She didn't want to admit that Yurushi might be right, but that was mostly because of how outlandish his idea was. Sure, the possibilities were there, and in a kind of twisted and crazy way it all made sense. The repercussions, however, were not fun to think about.

A man stepped out to the kitchen area, with their waitress in tow. She held a pot, and the steam pouring from it suggested it contained tea. The man was dressed in a white apron and a white hat, and carried two small plates. They were set in front of the genin and the chef gave a short, but polite bow as their waitress poured their tea. She had wondered where the tea was. Yurushi's constant suspicion of bigger ploys had gotten her all worked up. She really did need something to help calm her down.

"Shinobi-san," the chef addressed the pair. "I am Itamae no Naoki, and I am honored to serve you."

Yurushi stood and returned the bow, "The honor is ours Naoki-san."

Hanami took that as a queue and mirrored her teammate. "Yes, thank you for your hospitality," the teenage girl added. The genin returned to their seats and the chef dismissed the waitress for the moment, while the middle aged man grabbed a seat and joined them.

"How has your search for the elder's daughter been going?" He asked.

"No news yet, but any lead you can give us will help Naoki-san," Hanami replied.

"I didn't want to say anything," Naoki began to look left and right as if checking to see whether or not the potential eavesdroppers were acceptable. "I didn't want to fuel the rumors that have been going around, but I have heard things that could help you out."

"Whatever information you can offer is welcome Naoki-san," Yurushi encouraged as he leaned forward to listen, food forgotten for now. Hanami wasn't going to waste her yakisoba. Even if it wasn't the traditional way of serving it, it was still delicious. The noodles and pork were sweet and savory. The bread they were nestled into was warm, and the ginger added a little zest to the whole concoction that made up a delightful lunch.

"A few years ago I catered the birthday party the village threw for Nanushi-sama, and during my preparations at their house I overheard Noboru arguing with Yukimo. He kept saying that he needed her to find something for him. She didn't know what he was asking for, but Noboru kept insisting that if she did not, then her father did. He wanted whatever it was, and he sounded angry that she wasn't able to give it to him," the man said in hushed tones.

Hanami nearly spat out a mouthful of food in shock, but managed to hold her composure. Yurushi couldn't be right, could he? It was crazy, but if this was true then he wasn't as far off as she had thought. At the very least, she didn't want to be wrong. She certainly wasn't going to give the team conspiracy theorist any freebies.

"Is there anything you can remember about the day of her disappearance?" Yurushi pressed on for more relevant news. "Your restaurant is near the end of the north road leading out of the village which leads toward an area that Yukimo-san reportedly ventures to. Do you remember seeing her leave?"

"I recall coming in to work early that day," the chef thought. "I was trying to work out my new recipe for the sauce I will be using in my yakisoba this year. Is it any good shinobi-san?"

"Oh," Hanami paused, mid bite, with eyes wide when she realized that he was looking right at her. She could feel her face redden a bit. "Yes, it's wonderful. Thank you."

"I believe I remember seeing her leave the village that morning, but I didn't think anything of it." Naoki continued. "I thought I saw Noboru walking with her as they left the village together, but I wasn't paying too close attention."

Hanami looked at Yurushi knowingly. He had picked up on it too. Everyone else in the village didn't know any pertinent details, but Noboru had said that his betrothed had left the village alone that morning. Something to the contrary, even something as sketchy as this, was something to be concerned about.

"Is there anything else?" Yurushi asked with a deal of calm. Clearly he didn't want the man begin to worry about something or cause a panic.

"Nothing that I can immediately recall," Naoki answered cautiously. Likely, he was trying to think back to every little detail that he could find. "I'm sorry, I can't remember anything else shinobi-san."

"You don't remember if she was carrying anything, or her general mood, or anything else at all?" Yurushi pressed for answers. "The smallest details can help us out quite a bit."

"Yurushi," Hanami scolded him. The chef was a simple villager, not a suspect. The swordsman gets so easily wrapped up in his own theories and suspicions that he quickly loses focus on what was what. It annoyed Hanami when the Uzumaki forgot his manners. It was a rare occasion, but it was times like this that he needed a reminder. "He said he didn't remember anything else. Thank you for your help Naoki-san.'

"Of course," the man answered as he stood to leave. "I'm terribly sorry, I just don't remember much else," the chef answered while gathering the now empty plate in front of Hanami. Hanami blushed a little. She was quite hungry, and the food was excellent. Yurushi hadn't touched his yet, and if he wasn't going to eat it then she was. '_They made it special for us, and I don't want us to seem rude._'

"Now that I think about it," Naoki said just before he walked through the kitchen door. "I don't believe she was actually carrying anything at all. She always travels light only ever bringing her bow and a small sack if she stays out late or goes exploring unfamiliar grounds alone. I thought I saw Noboru-san escorting her, but it may be nothing. I was pretty distracted that morning, and he accompanies her so often that it's hard to remember what actually happened unless it's unusual."

After the chef left Yurushi's face had the most annoying smirk. He was on to something. The redhead might not have been entirely right, but that smug little visage just reeked of the words _I told you so_. Hanami pointed at him and glared. She dared him to say anything at all. He stood and left more than enough money to cover their tab and began to leave. Hanami grabbed the remaining yakisoba-ban and followed suit.

He moved pretty fast. Once the white haired genin stepped out of the restaurant she spotted her teammate half way toward the edge of the village. She chased after him to catch up and once she did they resumed a brisk pace out of the village. He was silent again, which was fine for now since Hanami was enjoying the food that Yurushi had abandoned. The other girls in her class would have avoided eating so much for the sake of their diets, but she was a kunoichi. To her a diet was typically involved eating quite a lot to balance out how much she burned off in training. It was a controlled diet, minimal sweets of course, but she wasn't shy around food.

After what seemed like ten minutes of silence they had travelled a good distance away from the village. Yurushi finally stopped and broke the silence. "You realize what that man said means that her disappearance was no accident, don't you Hanami?"

"I guess," Hanami admitted, "but what does it all mean? Do you think Noboru is behind all of this?"

The Uzumaki nodded in confirmation. "He knew her habits. He obviously accompanied her to ensure that she would not be armed and that it would not raise alarm. There is only one question I have now: is Nanushi-sama in danger or is he an accomplice?"

"What do you think?" Hanami asked with some derision at the suggestion of wrong-doing on the part of the elder. He was a kind old man, and it would take a really sick person to knowingly bring harm to their own child.

"I think the elder might be in danger," Yurushi answered.

"So should one of us like, um, I dunno, be his bodyguard or something?" Hanami asked trying to guess at what her partner was thinking.

"Do we know where Noboru is right now?" Yurushi asked thoughtfully.

"Weren't you listening to Sensei at all this morning?" Hanami huffed. "Sensei said that he was going to meet up with Noboru and they were going to investigate the place where Yukimo-san disappeared."

Yurushi looked lost in thought. There wasn't any time for this. If the elder was in danger, then someone needed to be there to protect him. If not then they had to hurry up and meet Hayate-sensei anyway. Either way they sliced it up they were on a time crunch.

"I smell a trap," Yurushi said quietly. "I just don't know if it's for us or not."

"Alright, then I'll go back to the elder's house and I'll stay there to protect him until you come back with Sensei and Kenshi-kun. You can go and report everything that we've learned so far."

"I think we should stick together. Besides, if the elder is involved you'll be against the enemy all by yourself," Yurushi rebutted.

"It doesn't matter," Hanami began to respond while checking over the contents of her shuriken holsters. "If we stick together and Nanushi-sama is behind this then we'll still be attacked, but if you're wrong and the elder isn't involved then he'll be unguarded and could be in danger."

Silence ensued. Yurushi's brow was furrowed and his face was grim. Clearly, he didn't like the options. Sticking together left someone at risk. The lives of their team and the life of their client were potentially at stake, and there was no time for delay. For the first time in a long time Hanami knew exactly what she had to do. It brought a sense of confidence and she felt it swelling up in her.

"You're better off in a serious fight than I would be," Hanami said. "I doubt they'd send anyone too dangerous to deal with Nanushi-sama, an older man couldn't be too big of a challenge so they'd probably save the real muscle for Sensei right?"

Yurushi nodded. "I take it you'll be going to the elder's then?"

"Yeah," Hanami answered satisfied with her equipment. She had a number of shuriken, several meters of wire, a couple of Yurushi's explosive tags, and a couple of kunai for close quarters weapon combat. "Go keep Kenshi-kun safe okay."

Hanami didn't even wait for a response before flying down the empty road. There was still a bit of embarrassment involved in talking about how she felt about Kenshi, and Yurushi was the type of guy who would notice stuff and ask questions. Normally she tried avoiding use of the familiar honorific just to avoid the suspicion of her teammate. Kenshi-kun was a great friend, and really cute, but he hadn't really seemed all that interested in her. It kind of frustrated the white haired girl, but her mother had said that boys tend to be slow at picking up romantic ideas.

As soon as she reached the village, Hanami took to the rooftops, as she bounded her way toward the elder's home. She was beginning to regret seconds at lunch, but mentally pushed aside her discomfort. Her violet eyes scanned every little detail, and soaked in as much information as she could. Most people were unaware of her movements along the meager skyline. Just another difference between here and home, no one thought to look up to find another person.

The villagers went about their business, ignorant to the girl's mad dash across the tops of buildings and homes. No one in the crowd seemed like they could be a bandit, thug, or ruffian. Perhaps she was moving too fast to tell who was who, but it didn't matter. There would be all kinds of trouble for the village if she slowed down now. If the elder came to harm then mission failure would be the least of their concerns. The people here would never forget how ninja from Konohagakure failed to protect their beloved leader, and she wasn't just going to let Konoha get a bad reputation on her watch.

She could see the elder's home in the distance. All looked quiet. It was a good sign, or a really bad one. The elder's home was elegant. While it was befitting a man of his station, it was not an overt display of wealth. It was, however, one of the few houses in the modest village to have a second story. There was little to the second floor, merely a pair of bedrooms and a small balcony outside the room belonging to Yukimo. '_I'll sneak into Yukimo's room and scope things out, just in case._'

She leapt across the gap between the elder's home and his neighbor's roof. Gathering chakra to her feet, Hanami prepared to scale the walls of the house. Her foot planted onto the wooden beams, and the chakra helped her cling to it. Defying gravity she ran up the side of the wall and maneuvered her way to the balcony above. Her footing wavered slightly before she dismounted.

'_Just relax,_' Hanami thought to herself as she drew in deep breaths before standing from her crouch. '_There's no trouble yet. I'm just taking a precaution. There's no fight, and if there is then I can handle it._'

The door slid open quietly and Hanami scanned the empty room. It was filled with all manner of things. Crystals still embedded in rock were strewn across a dresser. A kimono hung delicately with a few other silk garments. Maps of the local area layered parts of the floor. This woman was eclectic in her hobbies and interests, but outdoors and exploration was dominant. Propped up against the wall was a quiver full of arrows and a short bow. Perfectly unused, and far from where it was supposed to be. Hanami withdrew a sealing scroll from her pouch and quickly sealed the weapon away. If they found Yukimo, she may need the weapon to aid in their escape.

'_I can't believe it!_' Hanami wordlessly admitted, much to her disappointment. '_Yurushi was right again!_'

Hanami slid the door open leading into the hall. Poking her head out of the room she scanned her surroundings. The house looked empty. It was quiet, too quiet. Her heart was racing and the girl with snow colored hair tried to calm down her rising anxiety. Silently, Hanami crept her way to the top of the stairs. The stair way was enclosed, and the wood was well worn. Gingerly she stepped down, keeping her feet on the outside edges of each stair. Everything was quiet. The elder didn't make much noise, but if he were in the house there would be some sign.

Halfway to the bottom there was a sharp creaking sound. Hanami grimaced, but quickly realized that it wasn't her. The noise came from the top of the staircase. Praying that it was only the elder, the genin turned around slowly. A large man stood at the top of the stairs. His shoulders were broad, and his arms were thick. His face was scarred, but his smile was gleaming with danger.

"Well look what we have here," a voice declared in front of her. Its owner was shorter, but just as stocky as the man who stood behind her. "It looks like a Konoha kunoichi has lost her way."

Malice and danger were palpable in the air. Fear was welling up within her bones, and it threatened to take control. She was alone right now, and these thugs had been waiting for her. Panic was rising fast, and Hanami wasn't sure she could force it back down quick enough to act. These men were trouble, and she didn't know if she could work her way out of this one. She had skill and was well trained, but terror was numbing her from action. This was a test unlike any other she had taken. It was pass-fail. It was live or die. This was shinobi combat; this was survival.

"I say we take her back with us," the man behind her responded. His voice was boisterous as it bellowed from above. "We could have a little fun, don't you think?"

"She would be fun," the rogue in front of her sighed while cracking his knuckles, "but the boss wants her for something special." She needed to act, but couldn't find the drive. Fear had her all locked up. She had seconds left, and prayed that she could will herself to move in time. Drawing in a steady breath, she remembered that she needed to win. If she didn't, then the rest of her team could be in danger. She wasn't about to let Kenshi-kun down. Digging deep, Hanami willed herself into action and hoped that her foes weren't highly trained.

* * *

The clusters of trees were thinning out as Yurushi rushed by with all haste. In the distance he could see the rest of his team. There was no comfort in letting Hanami go alone, but she had been right. If the elder was in danger then someone would need to protect him and someone else had to warn Hayate-sensei of the danger. He hoped that Noboru wasn't the mastermind, because if he was then the fight could get ugly real quick.

Bursting through the break in the line of trees, the redhead's arrival grew the attention of the three investigators. Yurushi slowed his pace as he neared his Sensei. The jōnin looked past him expectantly, but seemed confused afterward. Kenshi was excited as ever, and directly behind him Noboru stared on unconcerned.

"Yurushi," Hayate-sensei called as the man drew closer. "Where is Hanami?"

"We learned a few things about the case you needed to know," Yurushi answered trying to think of how to phrase his suspicions of Noboru without giving it all away. "We had reason to think that Nanushi-sama may be in danger. Hanami went to guard him and I came to deliver the news."

"Fool," the Sensei of the genin squad hissed. "I told you to stick together. Why would you leave her alone?"

"But, if we separated then," Yurushi tried to explain.

"I gave you an order to stick together," the perturbed jōnin interrupted quietly. "When I give you an order it's for a reason, and I expect you to follow it."

"But," Yurushi checked over to see if Noboru was paying attention to their conversation and lowered the volume of his voice, "Hanami and I found evidence suggesting that Noboru may have kidnapped Yukimo-san and is using that to get leverage against the elder. We thought that-"

"You thought," Hayate-sensei interrupted again, "but what you didn't know was that the elder was once a member of a cult that operated out of the city before it was destroyed. This isn't the world you grew up in. The world of shinobi is different, and dangerous. Information is power, and something you don't know is often times more dangerous than something you do."

"I'm sorry Sensei," Yurushi whispered dejectedly.

"I know you are," Hayate-sensei responded with a hand on the redhead's shoulder. It was meant to instill confidence, but all Yurushi felt was shame. He didn't know what had Sensei worried but he couldn't bring himself to be concerned. All the young Uzumaki could think of was how he might have just unwittingly allowed his friend to run toward her grave.

"It doesn't matter," Yurushi's Sensei continued in hushed tones. His eyes held no signs of rage, but disappointment. Katsushiro-sensei had given the same look several times, and Yurushi hated it. The only difference here was that someone else's life was at stake. "We can't sit here and waist time fretting over what might happen. Have faith in Hanami. You were right about one thing though, if you hadn't come then I wouldn't know about Noboru. We can't talk about it here, and I don't want to leave Hanami by herself for much longer so we need to leave. We need to leave now."

Hayate turned and froze. Yurushi looked onward to see the cause of his Sensei's abrupt stop. Noboru held Kenshi's own ninjato at the boy's throat. The jōnin began to circle to the left, and Yurushi picked up on the action and circled in the opposite direction. Slowly, steadily, and carefully the young Uzumaki reached for the hilt of his sword.

"Ah, ah, ah," Noboru warned while pressing in on his threat to Kenshi's life. "No sudden moves or the boy dies."

Hayate-sensei stopped. He leveled a stare and waved his hand in a subtle way. It was their team's hand signals, and they commanded him to stop. Yurushi obeyed and waited for further instructions from his insomnia ridden teacher. There was a wave of threat and danger emanating from Noboru. It spoke of a lust for blood and the promise of death. Yurushi felt ill. The pure and unfiltered killing intent of the man was beyond intimidating. The redhead felt like running and hiding, but there was no veil and no cover from this. There was only madness, and it gripped the man's soul.

Kenshi looked to be in some form of shock. His breaths were shallow and his eyes were clinched shut. The Muramasa hadn't expected anything like this. Yurushi wished he had more strongly objected to Hanami. It was his fault. Hanami could be in the same kind of danger right now, and he had let her run to it. Like a lamb to the slaughter, Yurushi led his teammates to the clutches of a waiting death. The silence of the moment, the killing intent in the air, the disappointment of his Sensei, and the endangerment of the ones he cared for. It was all on him, and the young genin couldn't take it.

"Calm down Yurushi," Hayate-sensei's voice snapped him of his thoughts. The look in his eyes was one of cautious concern. There was a confidence in his voice. If nothing else, Yurushi felt that his Sensei told him that he could handle it. The fear was still there, but the anxiety was abiding for now.

"Here's what you are going to do," Noboru said cautiously gauging both the ninja standing him down. "Hayate, you and little Yurushi will disarm and throw your weapons out of reach."

Hayate-sensei began to unstrap his sword in slow, carefully measured movements. A brief message through the young team's unspoken language commanded Yurushi to do the same. The redhead complied, albeit begrudgingly. There was no promise of Kenshi's wellbeing to go along with this lack of weaponry. After removing his sword from its angled position on his back, the young Uzumaki tossed the unsheathed blade toward the trees to the left. A pit in his stomach formed when his wakizashi hit the ground, and the boy simply hoped that all would be well. Reaching a hand to unfasten his shuriken holster, the ranged weapons were about to follow.

"Ah, leave your kunai and shuriken alone," Noboru commanded in chipper tones. "Keep your hands up in the air where I can see them. Now I want both of you to kneel. Go ahead and get down on your knees."

Nervously, slowly, Yurushi complied. His Sensei showed no emotion, but surely he knew that this entire situation was bad. Kenshi hadn't moved a muscle since his capture, but pried open one eye to get a view of what was going on. Yurushi could see the fear that his teammate had, or maybe he was only projecting his own. The look of total satisfaction on Noboru's face was beginning to tick the redhead off in the most serious way. This entire time the man was using the ninja in his own sick games, and if Sensei's investigation was right then the elder was doing the same thing. Something is going on, and Yurushi had no idea what.

From the corner of his eye, the young Uzumaki saw his Sensei making subtle motions with his hands. A thumb twitched, a finger bent at the knuckle, and the pinky and ring fingers crossed on the left hand. They were at a disadvantage, given that nothing was known about Noboru's training. As Hayate-sensei just said, the unknown was often times the most dangerous.

The movements his Sensei had been making with his hands were bold. Directly in Noboru's field of vision, but the motions were obviously misinterpreted as some nervous twitch. In reality, it was a message through the team's hand signals. Sensei hadn't been taught this language directly, but had cracked the code during training. The team would change certain signals here and there as Hayate-sensei began catching onto them, so his dialect was older. Nevertheless, Yurushi got the message. Collect his teammates and go home immediately.

Orders were orders, but he didn't like this. A supplemental order was being issued as well. Hayate-sensei quickly crossed both index fingers. It was a clear indication that Yurushi was not to do something. Suddenly another man rushed in behind Sensei from beyond the genin's field of vision. The mysterious addition quickly delivered a blow to the base of the jōnin's head, interrupting the message. Hayate-sensei dropped to the ground, unconscious before he hit.

"Sorry boss," the man apologized half-heartedly as he picked up the jōnin and threw the unconscious body over his shoulder. "It looked like he was weaving hand seals."

"I see," Noboru answered with a smirk.

To his left he could see another man pick up his blade and slowly approach him. "I received word from the second team," the second man said. "They captured the girl."

'_So Noboru is in charge of a team of ninja. I wonder how many he has, and if he is in league with the elder or if Nanushi-sama is working against him?_' Yurushi questioned while waiting for someone to do the same to him as was done to his Sensei.

"Good," Noboru declared with a twisted sense of joy. "Now that we have what we came for its time to clean up the mess. Give me Hayate, and both of you take care of these two."

Careful not to remove the blade from Kenshi's throat, Noboru took hold of Team Thirteen's leader only after his subordinate had taken his place. Kenshi's face became a bit more relaxed, and it seemed that he had evened out his breathing. Noboru left without another word, taking their unconscious Sensei with him. The enemy ninja behind Kenshi kicked the boy behind the knee, dropping the young swordsman to a prone position. It was subtle, but Yurushi caught the motion. While Kenshi's hands dropped to keep him from falling face first into the ground, he palmed the hilt of a kunai knife, still partially hidden in his sleeves. His partner winked at him with a slight grin before the man behind him grasped the turf of his scalp.

'_So, we're going to see what these guys are really made of. Good luck Kenshi, I'll try and move quickly to help you,_' Yurushi thought as the edge of his own sword was pressed against his neck.

"Nice sword kid," the voice behind him quipped. "I remember someone just like you who had a weapon just like this about five, maybe six years ago."

The man drew closer toward the Uzumaki boy. His breath was menacing, but his whispers caused a bit of shock. "I remember you," the man breathed. "I'm going to enjoy getting some long overdue revenge on my big brother's murderer. This time, your samurai master won't be here to save you."

Just as Yurushi sensed that he was to be run through a metal clang resounded across the clearing. Kenshi knocked away the weapon in his captor's hands and used the unpreparedness of his enemy to elbow the man's groin. Yurushi's own executioner was distracted, and that open window was more than enough. Grasping the man's arm, Yurushi slipped under the sword. Taking a page from Neji's playbook, he gathered a small amount to chakra and released it in a burst with an open palm strike. The elbow snapped, causing the man to cry out in pain and more importantly drop his sword.

Yurushi grabbed hold of his weapon and put some distance between himself and his now wounded assailant. Scanning his surroundings, Yurushi saw his teammate running to join him. Side by side, Yurushi felt much better about their current predicament. It was still a fight, but at least he and Kenshi weren't helpless. Two on two odds were pretty good also.

"You two are useless," a voice declared as another man dropped into the clearing from the tree line. "Pull yourselves together and help me finish off these brats or I'll kill you both myself. My hand has been itching for some action."

The idle threat caught the attentions of the other two men as all three prepared to attack in force. "So, which one do you want?" Kenshi asked tauntingly.

"I'll take the ugly one," Yurushi answered with a grin as he loosed his scabbard from his back and sheathed his sword.

"I dunno," Kenshi responded with a playful tone, "they all look pretty ugly to me."

"That's enough!" The man who had held Kenshi yelled. "I'm gonna cut that tongue out of your smart mouth."

"Well," Kenshi chuckled to himself as he nudged Yurushi, "I might as well use it as much as I can before this guy takes it away."

The man charged, and Kenshi rushed to meet him. Yurushi secured his sword at his side, and made a simple hand seal to release his body from the third level of his training seal. He instantly felt the difference, and rushed to intercept one of the other attackers.

Stepping between the man whose arm Yurushi had broken and his partner, the redhead grasped his blade. The man carried on, to his credit, undaunted by the young boy's surprising speed. His kunai knife was brandished in his undamaged hand, and Yurushi waited patiently for the man to come into range. The newcomer, curiously enough, hung back and watched. He was likely waiting for an opening.

Yurushi sidestepped the attempted stab and withdrew his sword, slamming the end of the hilt into the man's gut. Deftly, Yurushi flipped back away from the man letting his feet connect with the man's jaw. As he righted himself he was forced to dodge a salvo of kunai and shuriken thrown by the third man. Yurushi didn't see his initial attacker making any movement hinting toward consciousness, so he charged forward to meet the newcomer.

Closing the gap involved darting between flying metal, but Yurushi found his opening. Once he was in range Yurushi drew his sword in a horizontal strike at the man's midsection. It was blocked with a kunai as Yurushi allowed his momentum to carry him forward. Sheathing his weapon, he turned around to see the man's hands in a Tiger hand seal.

'_Crap,_' the Uzumaki groaned inwardly. '_He's a ninja too._'

A thin stream of fire shot from the man's mouth, and Yurushi wheeled to the left to avoid the Katon jutsu. Upon impact with the ground he had once stood on the line of flames exploded with enough force that Yurushi lost balance. The redhead adjusted his body to fall into a roll and quickly regained his footing. He found the man prepared to fire yet another inferno, and Yurushi knew that if this was how the fight was going to go it was going to get old real quick.

After dodging, falling, and returning to his feet once more Yurushi reached into his kunai pouch and waited. The third stream of fire shot towards him, and once Yurushi felt it was close enough he poured chakra into his kunai and let it fly toward the source of the fire. Yurushi chased after the kunai and ducked under the contained blazes and brought his sword to bear on an opponent who had just barely dodged the knife.

The man stopped weaving his hand seals and drew a weapon to defend against the genin's attack. "Very clever," the man said with a smile as blades locked. "It's a shame really. For someone so skilled, you aren't very perceptive."

The man gestured to something just over his shoulder, and cautiously Yurushi peered at what the man was hinting at. Kenshi was seemingly putting the finishing touches on his own fight, but the man that Yurushi had thought he knocked out had worked his way over toward his teammate. Kenshi didn't know, but the man was preparing to land a lethal blow as soon as he was within range, something that would happen in seconds by Yurushi's frantic estimations.

The redhead responded by shifting his weight and letting his opponent lean forward. While his enemy stumbled slightly, Yurushi guided his wakizashi away from the ninja's kunai and slashed the back of the calf muscle of his foe. Sheathing his sword again, Yurushi released his seal even further and rushed off to protect his friend. There was no thought, there was only action.

Instinct and the desire to protect his best friend from an unknown attack guided his body. The would-be assailant never saw it coming. The distance closed and Yurushi struck against the back of the man's leg with his foot. The man dropped to a more manageable height for the young teen to deal with. In a quick thrust leveled toward the back of the man's neck Yurushi finished a fight he had thought was over. The blood trickled down warming his hands as it pooled just behind the blade, begging for release. The bandit began choking and gagging as the last moments of his life where being spent in utter misery. Kenshi turned from the fight he seemed to have finished to find the shocking scene.

Yurushi leveled his breathing from its heightened state and pushed the man off his sword. The body dropped lifelessly and the sea of blood flowed from the fresh wound. Kenshi was safe, but the look in his partner's eyes was one of slight horror. The redhead looked down at the man he killed and similar feelings arose in his heart. Guilt. Shame. The things he had felt when he struck down a bandit five years prior returned to the forefront of his mind. '_Will Kenshi and Hanami see me as the murderer I've become?_' Yurushi wondered as his gaze met his teammate.

"Hold on," Kenshi mouthed silently, and he hunched down slamming his hands into the ground. Yurushi was jolted with an uprooting of earth beneath his feet. Catching his balance, just barely, the surprised genin was standing atop a rising wall of dirt, clay, and stone. So sooner than the wall's creation kunai were embedded deep within it. Looking across the clearing, Yurushi could see the opponent he abandoned wearing a wry grin and pointing down. Taking the hint for what it was, the redhead looked down to catch a glimpse of small sheets of paper strung to the end of each knife. Noticing sparks of flame that were on each note made the teen grimace with recognition.

"Get down!" Yurushi shouted as he jumped off the wall of earth. Kenshi took his cue and hunkered down. Upon landing, Yurushi sheathed his blade and ran as far away from the defensive construct as he felt he could before sliding and curling up. The blast shook him violently and chunks of stone and baked clay pelted his exposed back. Pain shot through his body as one struck him in the middle of his back. Several more pieces of the hastily made wall landed nearby as heated dirt and clay crashed into the redhead as a wave.

Opening his eyes slowly, Yurushi found a thin mist of dust and dirt shrouding everything nearby. The boy moved gingerly, finding a layer of earth covering him. Nothing felt broken and there were no major pains, but the adrenaline was still pumping so time would reveal how injured he was. There was a ringing sound in his ears that made him deaf to all else. Fighting to his knees the Uzumaki grasped the hilt of his sword knowing that his foe was nearby.

Vision was still off kilter, but he saw the break in the cloud of dust. The ninja broke through, kunai in hand, pouncing for the kill. Drawing his wakizashi, the genin put up a meager defense. The weight of the man collided with him bringing the boy to his back. The point of the assaulting metal was but a hair's breadth from his face. Yurushi could see the enemy gritting in pain, and the teen recognized that his own sword was cutting into the man's arm. A deeper cut was only held back by another kunai in the offhand.

Every ounce of his strength was dedicated to staying alive, but that strength was failing. Yurushi had reached his limits and both combatants knew it. "It's been fun kid," the ninja grunted. "I was surprised when I could sense you survived. Your friend didn't, but I'm kind of glad you did. Just wouldn't feel right if I didn't end this up close and personal." The knife inched closer and Yurushi's arms shook against the strain of his foe's power. The metal was aimed for his heart and Yurushi willed his body to throw the man from off of him. It was to no avail, and the teen braced for the inevitable.

Suddenly, the sound of a kunai connecting with flesh met the Uzumaki's ear. The man on top of him went slack and fell over. Yurushi sat up and saw the man had fallen, dead, knife buried into the side of his head. The dust and dirt that had filled the air thinned enough for the young ninja to see his teammate, seated, half covered in dirt, and gasping for breath. Kenshi fell back down, and Yurushi slowly made his way over to his friend.

"Thanks for" Kenshi puffed in exhaustion, "the assist."

"Sure," Yurushi responded. "Thanks for your help back there."

"Sure," Kenshi laughed dryly. "Didn't think I'd hit the guy."

That was no surprise. The sword maker didn't have the surest of aim with thrown weapons. What was a surprise was the jutsu the guy used. Yurushi had no idea that Kenshi could perform a nature transformation, let alone utilize a Doton jutsu. How the brown haired swordsman learned it was just as curious as the notion of when.

"Can you reach into my utility pouch and get me one of those Hyōrōgan I have in there?" Kenshi strained.

"Can't you?" Yurushi quirked an eyebrow at the odd request.

"Yeah, I can't really move right now," and at that admittance the redhead went digging through his partner's pouch. Standard issue military ration pills were useful supplements to have, but reliance was not recommended. They could replenish or enhance a person's chakra, but there was always a downside to such benefits. Time would wear the effects down and the crash was hard. Situations like these were more than reason enough to take on the risk of those side effects. Kenshi crunched on one while Yurushi popped another in his mouth.

The taste was bitter, and the texture gritty. All in all it was a horrible experience, but the redhead could feel energy revitalize tired limbs. Standing, somewhat shakily, Kenshi walked over to pick up his sword. Weapon sheathed, the brown haired swordsman turned to look at the man he had just slain. Sighing deeply he bent over and yanked his kunai with a sickening squelch.

"How can you do that?" Yurushi asked with mild frustration.

"Do what?" The genin drug a finger across the flat of the knife coating it in blood. Staring into the kunai like some kind of mirror Kenshi began painting something onto his forehead.

"That!" The Uzumaki shouted. "How can you kill someone and just be alright with it?"

"Those who live by the sword will die by it. So when you draw a blade-"

"Do so with assurance that your cause is worthy of your sword," Yurushi interrupted. "I've heard that proverb dozens of times."

"Well, that's what I did," Kenshi blurted. "We were in trouble, Sensei got kidnapped, and I kinda think that's a worthy cause."

He wasn't sure what to say. Kenshi killed two people just as he had, but he seemed unaffected. There seemed to be no conflict, remorse, or regret. The elder had suggested that there was always remorse, but his teammate painted his face in the blood of his enemy. Was he already so far removed from his sense of right and wrong that he'd abandon his humanity so easily? Where had this side of him hidden all these years? Or had it been there all along, just beneath the surface?

"It's not like I wanted to, or I enjoyed it or something!" The edge in Kenshi's voice let him know that his friend was losing patience with this conversation. "I did what I had to do, and nothing more. The sooner you figure out the difference the better."

On his forehead was something reminiscent of an eye tilted on its side. It made his teammate look primitive, fierce, and dangerous. "You're right," Yurushi breathed. This was not the world he grew up in. This was a world where morals, codes, and honor held you back. "We did what we had to."

"So," Kenshi huffed. "What were Sensei's orders?"

"Get Hanami and go back to the village," the redhead answered bluntly.

"Where's Hanami?" The brown haired kid wondered.

"She went back to protect the elder until I could find you, but those bandits said that a second team captured a girl," the genin speculated. It was a stretch, and a dangerous one, but it was a possibility.

"Think it was her?" His teammate asked.

"If not it could be Yumiko," at least that was what he figured. "We could go check at the elder's house, but we'll lose the trail here."

"But if it was Hanami they captured, then we can follow the one that she left," Kenshi had a good point, but it was not without risk.

"And if it wasn't then we'll have nothing to work off of, and we'll be running out of light to work with," Yurushi was still thrown off by his partner's body art. All he could think of was how easy it seemed for his friend to move on after taking a life. Did Kenshi think less of him because he was having a hard time adjusting to the facts of his life? Would Hanami think less of both of them when she learns of their actions, or had she already accepted this reality? Was he the only one fighting against his own concience?

"It's worth the risk," Kenshi determined. "If we find her, we'll need her help saving Sensei."

The air around his friend had changed entirely. As if a different person was now wearing Kenshi, parading around with his voice and face. What had changed? "Kenshi," Yurushi called out as his fellow swordsman was picking up the rest of his supplies. "Where did you learn that jutsu?"

"Oh, that?" Scratching at the back of his head, Kenshi was searching for answers. "I never really learned it. I sorta copied it from Sensei. He used all the time in those training sessions, and I asked him to teach me but he said that I didn't have enough chakra to use it."

"So how did you do it just now?" Curiosity had taken over now. If Kenshi could do this, then what couldn't he do?

"I dunno," Kenshi shrugged. "I kinda knew the handseals and I felt like I had all sorts of chakra. We needed a wall, so I just gave it a shot."

He just _gave it a shot_. Was he mad? Trying to use a jutsu that wasn't mastered in a combat situation was an easy way to end up dead. Yet, it worked, so Yurushi held his tongue. Kenshi looked frustrated, as if he was fed up with something. Staring at his hand, and the kunai he still held within it. The lines on his face were focused on a problem that the redhead could not see, but knew all too well. There was regret there after all. Perhaps Kenshi wasn't entirely different. Just maybe, they were more alike than he had thought. He wasn't sure, but he was hoping. Words took form, and he scribed them into memory until he could jot them down later.

_An eye drawn in blood_

_Looking glass to mirrored souls_

_What will the heart see_

"Yurushi," Kenshi's voice was a deeper timber, commanding almost. "Let's go. We don't have much time."

Nodding in agreement Yurushi followed suit hoping that they could find the rest of their team before something even worse could happen.


	15. Rituals and Resolutions

**Chapter 15: Rituals and Resolutions**

"There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul." - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

* * *

It was a sudden revelation. Without warning patterns of ink sprouted from the between the cracks of the wooden door and glowed menacingly. Out of surprise he gripped the doorknob as tightly as fear was gripping him. The trap was sprung and he had fallen for it. By luck, or fate, or the grace of the Kami, nothing happened. Taking a deep breath, Yurushi collected himself. Without moving anything other than his head and eyes, the genin studied the fūinjutsu array before him.

It wasn't until he felt certain that he would not provoke some sort of reaction from the seal that Yurushi let go of the doorknob. Backing away slowly, the redhead watched with some amazement as the patterns scribed into the grain of the wood began to disappear. He wanted more time to study the seal. He felt confident that with a few more hours he could crack through the layer of protection.

Stepping forward again and placing a hand on the door the seal became visible once more. Characters carefully arranged in the shape of a square standing on one of its points overlaid another design forming an oval. Bands of markings stretched straight out from the places where the two shapes intersected. In the middle of the grand array was a large, single kanji. The bold and definitive strokes spelled out the word _end_, and Yurushi frowned.

Taking a few steps back, the redhead studied the door once more as the seal faded from sight. The fūinjutsu itself didn't seem too complicated, but there was certainly a trick to it. The seal wasn't what was locking the door or barring entry, there was something else doing that. As the last of the markings left the old door clean the swordsman determined that the seal was merely a conduit for another technique.

"Probably a barrier," he groaned to himself. Kekkai ninjutsu was far from a specialty. Frankly, he wouldn't even feel comfortable labeling himself as a beginner, but he was trying to get the basics down. The two styles complimented each other quite well, and typically were utilized in conjunction with the other. A barrier could retain more permanence with a seal in place, and sealing techniques gave the average barrier a greater degree of versatility. Together one could make a powerful defense or deadly traps.

For now, he was at a dead end. Slipping through the technique required more knowledge, and breaking through required incredible brute force. He had neither, and didn't want to waste more of what precious time he had. Defeated, the young Uzumaki turned and climbed back up the stairs.

Entering the main hallway of the house reacquainted him with the wreckage they had found. Broken doors, holes in walls, glass from shattered picture frames, all strewn about the floor. The trail led him to the kitchen, which was also in complete disarray. The table and chairs were upturned, and what was left of a tea set was crunching beneath his sandaled feet. Yurushi looked outside, through the large hole that was made in door to the garden. Kenshi was combing the area outside.

'_Whoever it was that was captured here put up a good fight,_' he determined stepping through the breach in the door.

"Yurushi come here!" The brown haired teen shouted excitedly. "Get a look at this!"

Rushing over to where his friend was, the redhead found Kenshi squatting at the edge of Nanushi's Koi pond. Staring fiercely into the disturbed water, Yurushi mimicked his friend to find what was discovered. The surface of the water was far from still with all of the fish below swimming about. The white and golden scales swarmed, probably expecting food, making it difficult to see what Kenshi had gotten so worked up about.

"There!" The blacksmith shouted as he shoved his hand deep into the pond. Startled, the fish dispersed. "Gotchya!"

Withdrawing his arm from the water, Kenshi held a shuriken between two fingers. Kenshi tossed it to him, and Yurushi inspected the metal carefully. It seemed to be fairly generic save one minor detail. The circular cutout of the shuriken bore a maker's mark. It was the mark of a weapon's maker in Konoha. Specifically one that Hanami and her family were patrons of. Their teammate had been here, this was her fight. She was the captured girl.

"She must have been holding back," the brown haired swordsman pointed out. "If she had been going full force this place would be covered in shuriken and half burnt down."

The redhead nodded in agreement. Their violet eyed friend must have been trying not to make a total mess of the elder's home. She was considerate like that, but that consideration had clearly worked against her. She had been captured, and now the question was a simple one. Where had they taken her? It was likely the same place that Sensei had been taken, but the pair of blade wielders had no idea where to go.

"Come on," Yurushi urged his friend. "We need to find some sort of heading."

"Right behind ya," Kenshi answered.

He knew they needed to act fast. Neither of them were experienced trackers, and if the trail grew too cold then finding the rest of their team would be impossible. The pit of worry that had been building in his gut began to churn. '_She fought,_' Yurushi reminded himself. '_She didn't freeze up. She fought and then she ran._'

Hanami had risen to her challenge. She didn't freeze up, but found within herself the strength needed to fight on. The whole of the team had been put into difficult situations. Both Kenshi and Hanami had found the ability to do what was necessary. They kept pressing forward. Yurushi wasn't going to fall behind and weigh them down. They were a team; individuals bound together and united as one. No matter how disturbed his heart still felt, he was going to keep pressing on.

The first step was to find out what direction Hanami's captors went.

* * *

"Find anything?" Kenshi's voice shouted through the dense trees.

"No," Yurushi answered. "Not yet."

He continued searching for something, anything that would give the pair a heading to follow. The trail that Noboru's men left behind had gone cold, and it was getting dark. Soon there would be no daylight left, and whatever path remained to be followed would be next to impossible to see. The _Chief of Security_ obviously had a pretty decent grasp of shinobi life to cover his tracks so well. Whether by accident or design, the villain had spirited away the only real sensor in their group, and that made the task of finding the man much more frustrating.

There had to be some sort of footprint or unnatural disturbance in the underbrush. And if not, then Kenshi should have found something up in the trees. There hadn't even been a single trap left to hinder their progress. Either Noboru was an arrogant man who didn't think that mere genin could defeat his men, or he was confident that his men would leave no trail to follow. It wasn't a fun prospect for Yurushi. His teammate, friend, and Sensei were in danger, while he was messing around in bushes.

The orange and red in the horizon was not as beautiful a thing as it once was. This evening it was threatening. It was a constant reminder of how little time he had left, and how critical his failure would be. This was supposed to be a simple missing person's case. How could it have all gone so wrong so quickly? Why did it happen? These questions weighed upon his mind as he searched fruitlessly.

The forest had become quite dense and the terrain was much less level. They had traveled for some time to the northwest of the village, and now they rested in the shadow of several rolling hills. They were large, but nothing near as tall as the mountains Yurushi had seen near the boarders of Kaminari no Kuni. As he could remember from the various interviews he had conducted, Yumiko would go exploring near these hills on occasion. His instincts told him to go and discover why she would be drawn there. '_Maybe if I search toward that general direction,_' the teen suggested to himself._ 'There has to be some reason why Yumiko would go exploring over there._'

Walking toward the northwest, Yurushi scanned the ground. Nothing really changed. Trees, brush plants, large gnarled roots exposed above the ground, and the occasional moss covered rock or boulder; the terrain felt old. Something about the air made it taste a bit stale, as if it had just settled in with the trees. There were no signs of wildlife, neither living nor dead. The trees had outlived everything that made these woods their home. There was an ominous feel to it all.

"Hey," Kenshi's voice shouted from a distance. Yurushi looked back to see his friend maybe a hundred meters away. The redhead shook his head. He didn't think he had wandered so far. "Where are you going?" His partner cried out.

"Just following a hunch," Yurushi replied as his teammate rushed to rejoin him.

He turned back around to continue his search. Fruitless as it was, he felt a strange sense of calm in these woods. The passage of time didn't matter. Eternity had come and gone, but the trees endured. Everything looked ancient. Even the underbrush looked like a testament to a bygone age. '_Maybe this was why she came out here. Everything feels at rest and at peace._'

The peaceful aura eased him into an uncharacteristic moment of lackadaisical carelessness, and it wasn't long before he crashed into the shrubbery in front of him. Regaining his bearings, Yurushi dislodged his foot from the grip of one of the roots that blanketed the ground. The coarse and prickly leaves were rather uncomfortable, and a few of the brambles stuck to his clothing. He rose and began to brush himself off. Carefully, he removed some of the thistle that stuck to the fabric of his shirt. Brushing out his hair with his hand he looked backward to see if Kenshi had witnessed the rather embarrassing moment but couldn't see him. Looking back to where he had fallen, Yurushi saw something very peculiar.

Reaching down he picked the thing from the undergrowth and gave it a closer inspection. It was a single strand of hair. Unnaturally white hair. It was too far out of the way to be a mere coincidence, and it was highly unlikely to belong to anyone other than Hanami. Whoever had taken her must have come this way. Perhaps, if his luck held out just a little while longer, there would be a trail that he and Kenshi could follow.

"Hey Kenshi," Yurushi hailed, "come over here! I think I found something!"

Yurushi began to scour the immediate area to see if he could find another of Hanami's loose strands. The rustling of leaves above him let the young Uzumaki know that his friend was drawing close. "Hey," Kenshi said as he dropped down to ground level. "So, what's up? What did ya find?"

"This," Yurushi answered while holding out the single hair.

"Where did you find it?" Kenshi asked excitedly. It was their first break in hours, and it was clearly lifting whatever dampened spirits the teen had.

"Right there in the bushes," Yurushi pointed. "I figured that there might be another around here somewhere."

"I'm on it," the young swordsman answered as he rushed to continue the search.

The quiet of the forest let them focus. The hunt for another trail was intense. The last lights of day were fleeing beyond the horizon and the dense woods were already becoming incredibly dark. At this point, Yurushi would settle for a simple heading if they couldn't find an honest trail to follow. Some sort of direction was better than nothing at all, but they had to find it first.

"Hey I found another one!" Kenshi proclaimed a few meters away. Yurushi's partner was closer toward the hills. It could be a coincidence, but perhaps not. The setting sun wouldn't allow for their searching to continue for much longer.

"Alright," Yurushi pointed toward what he suspected to be their ultimate destination. "I think we should check out those hills over there."

"You think so?" Kenshi queried.

"It's my best guess so far," Yurushi honestly didn't know where else to look. "Yumiko frequently ventured out that way, and there has to be some reason for that."

"Well," Kenshi shrugged. "If you think that's the place to look then I say we check it out. It's not like we'll be able to see much of anything anymore."

The redhead nodded in agreement. Minutes of daylight remained, if that. They would need all of their concentration just navigating the wood at night. Together they took to the trees and sped along their way toward the towering hills. Twilight encompassed them. The still of night was setting in and it was discomforting to Yurushi. It had been hours since Hayate-sensei had been abducted and there was no telling how long ago Hanami had been taken. Each second that passed could potentially be their last. And it was all on him.

There were no traps, or alarms, snares, or hindrances set up by the enemy. It was a curious thing. What fool wouldn't prepare for all eventualities? An overconfident one. Noboru must have thought his biggest challenge would come from their Jōnin Sensei. Yurushi looked over his shoulder to see his friend following close behind. A smirk crept on his face just thinking of how wrong Noboru would be.

The hills drew closer as the moon shone brightly. The cloudless sky allowed for the light to trickle through the treetops in the dense woodland. There was just enough light for the genin to see what they were doing and not much else. '_Does the Byakugan allow for night vision?_' The redhead wondered as he leapt from one branch to the next. He figured that if it did, the uses for the dōjutsu had to be staggering.

A small patch of yellowish orange flickered in the distance, and Yurushi came to a dead stop. Kenshi landed next to him whispering "What's up?" The Uzumaki pointed toward the distant glow and hushed his friend. They were coming upon a camp of some sort, and the threat of the enemy called for a stealthy approach. The last thing they needed was to get into another fight.

They ventured nearer to the mysterious encampment at a languid pace. Partly to prevent errant sounds from alerting to their approach, and partly because it was difficult to see. The darting from tree to tree became an uphill climb and even the slight incline was beginning wear down the teens. Yurushi was finding each breath to be a struggle and each movement was protested by the strain of each muscle. Kenshi, as the redhead glanced back at his partner, winced with his movements also. He was probably in greater pain than he was letting on, but to the guy's credit he tried not to show it.

The veil of night gave way as Yurushi finally saw the lighted torches in the hands of two men. They stood vigil outside of the entrance to a cave, and the teen smiled knowing that he had found what he was looking for. Yurushi dropped down to ground level and crouched down behind a large boulder. The rock, the trees, and the shadow of night would cover the pair from the eyes of the watchmen

"So," Kenshi whispered over the redhead's shoulder. "How do you want to play this?"

"Well," the genin thought. Rushing through the front door would draw too much attention to their arrival. If Noboru's band of bandits and ninja was using this cave as headquarters had to be pretty large. Large enough to house all of the gang's members, and possibly large enough to have multiple passageways. "We should probably scout around and see if we can find another entrance."

"Alright," Kenshi stood and pointed to the left. "Let's start looking over there and circle around the hill."

Yurushi followed his friend and hoped that Hanami and Sensei were still alright.

* * *

It was dank. His head throbbed, and eyes opened slowly. He was bound, hands too far apart to make hand seals or be of any real use. Hayate figured that he had been captured pretty easily, but he didn't know why. Noboru had guided both he and Kenshi as they conducted their investigation, and all evidence pointed toward the village elder. The secret room in the cellar of the elder's home, the various scrolls on cultish rituals, and the requirements those rituals made. All of those things made Nanushi seem guilty of something. Hanami and Yurushi had discovered reason enough to doubt Noboru.

He didn't trust the man. There had been something off about him from the beginning, but as he gathered evidence, Hayate had taken his eyes off the law enforcer of Yokkaichi. He left himself and his team open, and Noboru took advantage of that. To what end he didn't know. Was Noboru working alone, or was Nanushi involved somehow? Shrugging off those thoughts, Hayate turned his attention to the world around him.

To his left, also bound, was Hanami. The poor girl was still unconscious, and it looked like she bore some fresh wounds on her right arm and the side of her head. Hopefully, nothing too traumatic had happened to the girl. Kunoichi that are captured in the field, especially the young ones, typically find that death and torture weren't the extent of their treatment. The more unsavory sorts abuse their prisoners in the most deplorable ways. Hayate swore to himself that if the girl even hinted at sexual abuse not a single soul responsible would be spared from his wrath. It wouldn't make her feel less violated, but it would make him feel much better about failing to watch over his charge. '_Yurushi, what were you thinking?_'

To his right was a woman, also bound. She had long curtains of black hair and a gentle face. She looked like she was sleeping. '_How long have they kept her here?_' Hayate asked himself as he scanned her over for signs of malnutrition and abuse. He couldn't see any which let him hold out hope that his own student had been left relatively untouched. Well, Yumiko wasn't missing anymore. Now the job was getting out alive.

The cavern was empty. The roughly hewn rock that he was bound to was a part of what appeared to be some sort of stage or large ceremonial altar. There was an exit on the other end of the cave, but where it led he couldn't see. Torches were mounted in a freestanding brace to provide some source of light. The floor seemed to have been smoothed by either the passage of time or the hands of man. A large circle was carved into the grotto floor and within the circle was a triangle.

"Crap," Hayate muttered to himself. This was some sort of ceremonial chamber. That meant that some cult was involved, and it was probably the one the village leader had be a part of. It was supposed to have disappeared after Yugakure was destroyed. His knowledge was limited, but what he did know of the religious fanatics was that they really loved death. Not from a philosophical standpoint either. They reveled in killing, and were notorious for human sacrificial practices. Knowing that Nanushi had been in their number decades ago didn't leave Hayate with any warm feelings on the matter.

Sounds of people emanated from the only visible entrance or exit, and Hayate tried to find a possible secondary escape route. He couldn't see anything. Water pooled of to the right, along the cavern wall. His eyes followed the small stream that trickled down back to its source. A small hole, that might not even be passable, existed in the wall of the cave. There was no way of knowing where it led or if it was even a way out, but the flow of water was a good sign for the jōnin. The issue would likely be whether or not Yukimo could get through. If not, then they would have to fight their way out.

'_We'll have to fight anyway, but the less fighting the better,_' Hayate thought as he checked the strength of the rope binding him. They held him firmly. If only he had trained in the use of fūton then he could easily escape, but alas it was not meant to be. Escape would take hours, friction, and if he was lucky a sharp edge on the stone he stood against, but Hayate had to arrest his initial attempts when footfalls sounded in the hallway.

A single man was silhouetted at the entrance to the underground chamber and flanked on either side. As he strode in, the defining features confirmed the jōnin's suspicion became clearly visible. It was Noboru, coming to gloat. Just lovely. "Good," the man delighted, "you're awake. I was hoping to have a little chat before we begin the ritual."

Hayate scoffed. Not because he inherently disliked the small town cop, but more because the guy was trying to play nice. There wasn't anything to talk about here, and even though there was some amount of information to be gathered through learning about the who, what, and why, none of it really mattered. No matter what they said to each other Noboru would try to complete this little ritual, and Hayate would break free and stop him. Why talk about it?

"No need to be rude Hayate-san," Noboru admonished as he approached the pedestal where he kept his prisoners. "After all, we knew each other long ago and I don't want our last moments together to be ruined by bad blood."

"What are you talking about?" Hayate was interested now. He honestly had no clue as to what the guy was talking about. He had never met Noboru before, and had never traveled to Yokkaichi village in his life.

"We met one another during the Chūnin Exams many years ago," Noboru clarified as he received a bowl from one of the dozens of men that had filed into the antechamber behind him. All the men were robed, blood red colors covered them and hoods shadowed their faces. "You defeated me during the third round tournaments. I returned home in shame, and you got promoted. My clan disowned me, my village scorned me, and my team advanced without me."

"Sad story, but if you're looking for a shoulder to cry on you'll have to look somewhere else. I'm a little short on caring at the moment," Hayate wisecracked with a smirk of satisfaction. He remembered the guy now. Noboru wasn't his name back then, but it didn't matter much. He wasn't a good ninja, and had simply been riding the coat tails of his teammate's successes.

"I always hated you for what happened to me, and was planning revenge for a long time," Noboru remarked as another cultist handed him a knife. "By the time I turned fifteen I still hadn't achieved the rank of chūnin. I was on a mission that went horribly wrong, but instead of returning to Shimogakure I faked my own death. I traveled around the world training and planning for the day I would face you in combat. As the years wore on I found myself leading a small band of men and we raided and pillaged and stole all that we needed to survive, until one day I stumbled upon the legends of Jashin-sama. It didn't take long to learn that the legends weren't just stories and ever since then I sought out the last living shinobi of Yugakure."

Hayate yawned. "Sounds like you wasted a lot of time and energy, especially since whatever you have planned is about to be ruined."

"It would have been ruined if you hadn't showed up," the man ignored Hayate's comment as he traced Yukimo's neck with the edge of his knife. "I'll miss her, but her life is a small price to pay to finally have my revenge and achieve immortality."

"Immortality?" Hayate was curious now. Was that what this cult had been trying to achieve? Did the man honestly think that he could become an immortal through some bizarre cultish ritual? Perhaps that was why Yugakure destroyed itself. Everybody was killing one another to gain everlasting life. How foolish.

"Yes," the man elated as he walked over to stand in front of Hanami, "and I suppose I should thank you for your additions to the necessary sacrifice to Jashin-sama."

"There isn't going to be any sacrifice," Hayate declared as he leveled a serious amount of killing intent on the criminal. Hanami stirred lightly and moaned with discomfort, and the jōnin toned down his threat.

"I beg to differ," Noboru rebutted as he drug the blade against the girl before carving into her skin. Hanami awoke with a sharp cry of pain as her blood flowed freely. Noboru tried to calm the girl in vain as she struggled while he used the bowl to collect the plasma. Hanami looked to her Sensei and he tried to exude a calming presence to the frightened young girl, but the white haired teen thrashed against her bindings.

"I don't need you dead," Noboru said as he waited for his container to fill with the appropriate amount of the genin's lifeblood. "Not yet. The blood of the innocent."

A robed cultist took the bowl from his master's hand and backed away from the platform. Together with a few other members, they hovered over the stone vessel and began chanting something unintelligible. Noboru stood in front of Hayate blocking his vision any further. A wicked smile was on his face as Hayate braced for whatever his foe planned to do. Noboru slashed his arm, but the swordsman had suffered worse. He winced slightly, but kept his cool all the while Noboru filled yet another basin.

Hayate could hear weeping. When he looked to Hanami he could see only fear and pain, but no tears. Turning to see Yukimo, now awake, was a veritable fount as the emotion trickled down her face. "Please," she sobbed. "Noboru-kun, please stop this."

"The blood of the enemy," Noboru ignored as he held out the collected blood to another awaiting cultist. More chanting filled the air as the mad man stood before his lover. "I am sorry my dear. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but Jashin-sama will bless me with life everlasting. I pleaded with him to show me a way to continue the path he asked me to take with you by my side, but at every turn Jashin-sama asked for your life. I love you Yukimo, and I will always remember you."

Cutting her arm open, Noboru repeated the process. Whatever pain the woman felt was not described with words. Only her tears and lamentations were heard. Whatever kind of man Noboru had been to her, whatever kind of love they shared, and whatever kind of future she had hoped for was dead now. "The blood of the beloved," Noboru gave the bowl to another cultist. The chamber was filled with the rhythm of the cultist's chants. It was almost hypnotic, or it could have been the blood loss making Hayate a little woozy. He wasn't too sure.

"Now, the blood of the servant will call upon his master," Noboru declared to his followers. The man removed his shirt, which showed Hayate that he had indeed not forsaken his training. Drawing his knife, Noboru removed his sandals, slashed the back of his own leg, and waited. Soon after, using his foot as a brush and blood as paint, Noboru began to draw a circle around his body. Eventually the former Security Chief of Yokkaichi village completed staining the surface of the stone with the symbol of his religion and stood inside of it.

Three of the cultists lifted their bowls high in the air as the rest of them backed away, forming a semicircle around the platform. The cultist priests dipped a finger into the warm plasma and began drawing symbols and characters all over their leader. '_Is that some sort of sealing array?_' Hayate wondered as he watched and waited. While trying to silently escape, all Hayate could do was hope that his other two genin would find help quickly.

* * *

They found a cave a few hours ago and followed its tight and narrow crevices to the end. It was a difficult climb. The rock was slick as a stream of water ran down from its source, and they had to use chakra multiple times to keep a steady footing. That only served to exhaust him further. Yurushi was amazed that Kenshi, though he was tired, never let his fatigue slow him down.

They reached the end and found that the water had eroded a small bit of the rock that emptied out into a large antechamber. It had been empty when they arrived, aside from the three captives that the two boys had been searching for. The three prisoners were bound to small stone columns, and each was unconscious. Kenshi was insistent to press on, but Yurushi couldn't keep up any more. His stamina was not too shabby, but he was barely moving as it was. If they had to fight their way out of the caves, then he was done for. Yurushi suggested that they should rest, and Kenshi relented. Kenshi only had the two Hyōrōgan, so taking time to rest was really the only choice.

"Are we rested enough _now_?" Kenshi grumbled quietly.

Yurushi nodded. He had practically fallen asleep the moment his friend stopped trying to bicker about taking time to rest. The cramped overlook was wet and cold. Rocks served as pillows which lent nothing to comfort, but he slept all the same. Though it did not seem to be much longer than that when he was shook awake. Kenshi had kept him silent and pointed toward the opening in the cavern wall. Noboru had begun speaking with Hayate-sensei and his buddies were performing some ritual. Now he was trying to form some plan of escape. Maybe it had been a mistake to wait.

"What's the plan?" Kenshi whispered as Hanami's screams echoed through the tunnel. "Quick!"

"I don't know," Yurushi answered. The pressure was on. _The plan_ was usually his thing, but right now he had nothing. He was tired, and stressed, and the lives of three people hung in the balance. "Give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute," Kenshi's tone felt harsh. It wasn't him, but the situation and neither were taking to it well. This was shinobi life, and you didn't learn or prepare for this sort of thing. You adapted or you died. That was it. As cold and heartless as it was, that was the life they lived now. That was the life he lived. Yurushi scoffed mentally, as if that could be called living.

"Alright, I don't know about you but I'm pushing empty on chakra, and the only plan I have right now will eat up the rest of what I have. I can hold my own, but if these guys are really good, then I'm not going to last long," Yurushi started. Obvious assessments could help him piece something together. Naruto made plans on the fly all the time, how hard could it be.

"What are you thinking?" Kenshi asked tentatively.

"We cling to the roof of the cavern. I'll drop down and distract the cultists, and you drop down and free everyone. I should cause enough chaos for you and Hanami to escape with Yukimo-san," Yurushi said. That sounded alright. Passable at best, but if something went wrong then they would probably end up dead. '_How does Naruto do this all the time?_'

"There's like forty guys down there," Kenshi pointed it out. "Can you handle them all?"

"I can hold out long enough for Sensei to help me cover your escape," the Uzumaki answered confident enough in what he said. If those guys were any good then Hayate-sensei was going to have to rescue him. Surviving this plan was going to be touch and go.

"Alright," Kenshi agreed as he peered over the edge. "Do you think Yukimo will be able to climb up here?"

"You'll have to carry her," Yurushi confirmed. "She might not even be able to make it through the tunnel. It's pretty narrow."

"Yeah," Kenshi ducked back out of sight of any stray eyes in the antechamber. "If she can't make it through, then we'll double back and wait things out."

Yurushi nodded in agreement. That was a sound plan, well, sound enough. Now it was just a question of execution. "Let's go."

Slowly, they crept out. Hands and feet stuck to the dampened surface of the cavern roof. Defying gravity, the pair moved as silently as possible. Stalactites gave little surface worth holding onto as most were slick with dripping water, and Yurushi found his chakra was becoming less and less reliable with each step and grab.

The redhead held himself in position as Kenshi continued on to his drop point. Yurushi felt his strength falter, and he knew that he couldn't hold on for much longer. Kenshi wasn't in position, and there was no way to signal him since he wasn't paying attention to anything other than moving. Chakra control was still a work in progress, and Yurushi prayed that his friend would make it soon. Looking down, the young Uzumaki gauged if his fall would cause much harm. It wasn't too great a height. Checking on his partner showed that Kenshi was still out of position, he couldn't hold on any longer. Yurushi let go.

The weightlessness, even for the briefest of moments was the most chilling sensation of his young life. He never made an uncalculated move. The young swordsman would always assess the risks and rewards of his actions, and only if the possibilities were within acceptable bounds would he act. In this moment, it was a headlong dive into the unknown. His feet touched ground and when he looked up from his crouching position he saw a mass of people staring back at him with a mixture of confusion and shock. He felt the same way, because he really didn't know what was going to happen. That is, he knew that it would be a fight and assumed a ready stance, but he didn't know how the fight would go.

"You three, finish this quickly. The rest of you," Noboru shouted from behind, "kill the interloper."

The cultist closest to him was the first to strike out, and Yurushi ducked beneath the attack and slipped behind his feeble guard. As he drew his sword from the scabbard on his back he slammed the hilt into the man's forehead. The brawl was on at that point. The redhead ran through the divide in the crowd as they rose to fight, and was hoping to gain a better position away from Kenshi's escape route.

Stopping about an arm's length away from the cavern wall Yurushi turned to see dozens of men hot on his heels. Shifting left to dodge a blow, following up with a slash across the chest, immediately wheeling right to avoid a knife's edge and bringing his blade to bear against another man's hamstrings, Yurushi was a blur of motion. He had long grown accustom to his own speed after being freed from the resistance of his training seal. That extra speed was being put to the test here, but his exhaustion was limiting the benefits.

Sidestep left, thrust forward, backpedal and block, strike, dodge and counter. Yurushi held his own with the expertise of an experienced swordsman. His movements felt as natural as breathing and the reactions to his attackers were so practiced they had ingrained themselves into his mind as instinctual. Knowing that these men were not trained shinobi and barely trained to fight, he tried only to disable his opponents rather than go for the kill. It was extra effort, but there would be less guilt on his soul by the end of it all.

In his fatigue Yurushi had forgotten to keep close watch over his surroundings. The position near the cavern wall was chosen to limit the directions where the enemy could attack him. Now it was working against him. The sheer numbers that were going against him had pushed the redhead further and further against the wall. Room to work with had run out. He had worked himself into a corner, and was forced to block an opponent's spear-tipped pole in a way that left him exposed.

He realized his mistake moments too late, and saw the attack coming. After shoving the cultist he had locked blades with, Yurushi moved to establish a desperate defense. As he moved he knew it wouldn't be fast enough, and he braced for the impact of metal on flesh. When he felt no pain and heard a man gurgling, Yurushi opened his eyes to see an arrow had pierced the man's neck. Remembering his initial opponent he again turned to see a shuriken embedded in the temple of his head. Kenshi had freed the prisoners, and both Yumiko and Hanami had taken exception to the cultists that would have killed the teenaged Uzumaki. They took exception quite violently.

"Quickly!" Noboru's voice shouted new orders. "Stop them! Don't let them escape!"

Several of the cultists that surrounded him had broken off to bring the fight to the escapees, but Hayate-sensei had established a perimeter between the rest of the group and their exit by using his Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. Yurushi's plan wasn't as much of a death wish as he had imagined it to be. '_This must be how Naruto does it. Make a plan, roll with it, and pray that others can back you up_,' the genin thought as he continued his struggle for survival.

Noboru began laughing hysterically. His crazed glee echoed through the earthen hall, and every one took a brief moment to observe. The black markings that had covered his face and chest began glowing a fiery red as they united across the man's skin. The cultists that had drawn the strange sealing array stepped back as they finished some sort of jutsu. The glow faded as Noboru took on a new form. His skin was black as midnight and in places across his body there were white blotches. Noboru looked like a living skeleton, and Yurushi hoped that whatever ritual he was doing wasn't quite over.

"It's too late for you now Hayate!" Noboru said though bouts of laughter as he withdrew some strange metallic pole with a pointed end. "I'm an immortal, and I will give Jashin-sama thanks by ending your life."

Noboru took a stone bowl from one of his followers and drank its contents. His eye gleamed with insanity, and everyone just watched wondering what he would do next. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. Yurushi took the moment to sneak around a few of the cultists who had been tasked with killing him. They were star struck, but Yurushi was going to try to stop this madness while their guards were down.

Taking a position in the open by the main entrance to the antechamber, Yurushi drew a kunai knife and threw it at the Chief of Security. The blade ricocheted off the weapon the _immortal_ brandished knocking it away, and gaining everyone's attention. "Try and end this," Yurushi challenged as he threw another kunai at his foe. Noboru didn't even look like he was going to dodge it, and luckily for him he didn't need to. A wall of rock and stone shot out of the ground and intercepted the weapon.

"Yurushi watch out!" The boy's Sensei warned.

The genin turned to see a new assailant had sprung from the shadows. '_More ninja,_' Yurushi lamented to himself as he brought his sword to block a clawed hand. His body strained against the strength of the attack. The man had been going for the kill with a single blow. A chain with a small weight at the end wrapped around the blade of Yurushi's wakizashi, and it was then the clawed ninja drove a fist into the redhead's gut. A powerful kick soon followed and the Uzumaki boy went sailing, landing hard against the cavern floor.

"Yurushi," Hayate-sensei's voice accompanied a ringing in the boy's ear as his teacher helped him stand, "Come on and get up. I'll need your help with this."

"What about Kenshi and Hanami?" The redhead asked shaking his head to try and make the ringing stop.

"Gone," the jōnin answered. "Now focus and we may get out of this alive."

Yurushi surveyed the battle ground. Many of the cultists had fled. Hayate had created several Kage Bunshin to engage the new ninja and chase away the crowd of cult members. The pair of rogue ninja held their own against the carbon copies of the skilled swordsman. Their attacks coordinated with one another. One wielded his kusarigama in a way to disable the duplicates of the Konha jōnin and created openings for his partner to attack up close. They had efficiently disarmed the young Uzumaki, who was frustrated at losing his weapon. "Go back up my Kage Bunshin and I'll handle Noboru."

Drawing a scroll, Yurushi unsealed his katana and prepared to join in the fray. Dashing in, Yurushi intercepted the weighted end of the chain and sickle and the metal links wrapped around his still sheathed sword. Staring down the opponent who wielded the weapon, Yurushi challenged the man as the taut chain was the only evidence in their struggle for dominance. One of his Sensei's clones moved in to take out the kusarigama wielding ninja. The adversary's partner dispatched another clone and quickly moved to strike at Yurushi once again.

Fear and panic painted the teen's face as the older ninja made his approach. Yurushi pulled back his sword to try and get it free, but there was no luck. The ninja on the other end held the chain tightly as he danced around, using his kama to defend himself from Hayate-sensei. For the second time in the last two minutes the clawed ninja brought his weapon to finish the young Uzumaki, but before the fell stroke could land Yurushi stopped trying to pull the sword free. He angled the sword so that the sheath was pulled away, and the young swordsman swung the now free blade at his foe.

Shocked, the ninja quickly shifted from offense to defense, but Yurushi followed up his initial attack sweeping the man's legs. As the man fell Yurushi raised his sword for a final downward strike only to notice the man running through hand seals. Before the blade could hit its mark, the man hit the ground hands first. The earth beneath the genin rose quickly. Yurushi back flipped off the growing column before he was crushed into the roof of the cave.

'_These guys are good. Their Doton no Jutsu is timed perfectly,_' Yurushi thought as he landed deftly. He turned to see that he was already being enclosed by a winding chain. The metal closed in around him, and the redhead leapt over the threat of imprisonment. Something on the platform caught his eye, and he saw his Sensei being kicked off by Noboru with surprising force. The man rushed to the circle drawn in blood "It's over Hayate!" Wasting no time the cultist leader drove the metal spike into his own chest, piercing his heart.

'_That was stupid,_' Yurushi thought as the man fell dead where he stood. The boy looked over to see his Sensei groaning in discomfort and rising slowly. The man seemed otherwise alright. '_I don't know what Noboru was hoping to accomplish, but I don't think it worked the way he planned._'

The ground around him shifted and rose. From the earthen floor a large stone hand surrounded him and was quickly solidifying the grasp it had on him. He had made a fatal mistake. Yurushi forgot about his current opponents, and let his focus shift from his own battle to a fight he was not concerned with. He closed his eyes and prayed it would be quick. A scream resounded, slightly muffled, but familiar in pitch and tone. Opening his eyes quickly, Yurushi found his Sensei in the place where he had been. Hayate-sensei was caught in the grasp of a great stone fist, and his face contorted with pain.

'_Sensei used a Kawarimi with me,_' the teenager watched, entirely shocked by the development. His Sensei had taken the attack in his place. It was his mistake. The whole fight was because of his mistake, and now Hayate-sensei was suffering because of his own screw ups. Yurushi collected himself and saw his opponents still using their jutsu to crush the jōnin to death, but they didn't seem to be aware of the switch. Yurushi summoned the last of his speed and charged.

The youth used his katana with lethal efficiency as his first strike bit into the back of neck of the clawed ninja. Completing a quick twist of his body, the redhead thrust his weapon into the side of the ninja that had used the kusarigama. The large, burly man gasped at the sudden change in the battle. Blood trickled from the corner of his lips as he grinned, wincing in pain.

"Gorou," the man said weakly.

"Yurushi," the genin answered slowly as he realized that the man was introducing himself.

"You fought well. It was fun," Gorou coughed out, "while it lasted."

Yurushi didn't know how to respond, but any answer would have fallen on deaf ears. The light had left Gorou's eyes and his last breath had left him. The young swordsman withdrew his blade from his opponent's corpse and quickly cleaned it off. The sounds of falling rock reverberated through the open cavern, and the jutsu crumbled with no more power to fuel it. Sheathing his sword, the genin rushed to check on his Sensei. The man was conscious, but in great pain.

"I gave you," Hayate started coughing up blood and moaning as hurt continued to rack his body, "an order."

"Forgive me Sensei," Yurushi said. "All of this is my fault."

"You were," Hayate-sensei began in between another round of wheezing. Wiping off the blood that covered his mouth he continued, "told to leave."

Yurushi stood silent as he saw his Sensei stir in an effort to rise. The boy offered a hand to steady him as the jōnin rose to his feet once more. "I'm glad you didn't listen," the man tousled the teen's shaggy hair before coughing again.

"But Sensei," Yurushi stammered an objection. "You got hurt because of me. Hanami got hurt because I didn't listen."

"But you're alive." Hayate-sensei answered simply. "Hanami is safe because of you and Kenshi. We finished the mission." The man coughed once more and doubled over in pain, clutching his sides.

"I think my ribs were crushed," the insomniac declared with a weak laugh. "Let's go. Nanushi-sama better have some answers for us."

His Sensei climbed to his feet again and began to walk out of the cave, coughing periodically. Each episode punctuated the fullness of his mistake. Hayate-sensei seemed to overlook it, but Yurushi couldn't. The young Uzumaki walked over to reclaim his wakizashi and sheathed it once more. The sound of his teacher hacking could be heard throughout the cavernous hideout as he sealed away his katana. Two more were slain by his sword, but the cause was worthy. Fresh blood covered his hands, but it was justified. Wasn't it?

His teammate had been captured, but was safe now. Kenshi was held at knife point, but they fought against their enemy. His Sensei was abducted, but he was found and freed. They had even finished the mission. Everyone who had been in danger was safe once more. Hayate-sensei may not have minded, Hanami may not blame him, and even his opponent thought it was _fun_. Yurushi couldn't feel it though. Honestly, he wasn't sure what he felt about it all.

Walking out of the cave, following the sound of his Sensei's echoing cough, Yurushi determined that this was a hollow victory. The redhead increased his pace until he saw his Sensei's form by torch light Yurushi had one thought going through his mind. '_I don't want anyone to feel like they need to sacrifice themselves for me ever again. I don't want to live with the guilt of the lives I've taken, but I don't think I can live knowing that someone else gave their own life for me. Not again. Never again._'


	16. Rest and Relaxation

**Chapter 16: Rest and Relaxation**

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time." - John Lubbock

* * *

Sore. That was all he felt. It didn't matter if he was moving a toe, stretching his arm, or even breathing. Every part of him ached or hurt and no one position brought any more comfort. Honestly trying to move into a different position other than just lying here on his back caused more pain than potential benefit. '_At least it's over, and no one got hurt._'

Rays of sunlight crept through the window, and Hayate turned to look and found clear blue skies. '_It could have been a lot worse,_' the man thought as he drew in breath only to painfully cough it back out. '_Probably should have been a lot worse._'

He could hear the shuffling of feet in the hall outside his room. He could feel the wooden floor shift slightly under the weight of who was walking around. There were only three people who would have been awake at this hour. Either Yurushi was going out to perform his katas, the village elder was rising early out of habit, or Yukimo was going to prepare tea for her father. After four days of being in bed Hayate began picking up on the flow of the elder's home.

After returning to Yokkaichi with the elder's daughter, the old leader took it upon himself to treat the injuries of Team Thirteen and put them up in his own house for the remainder of their stay. The tradeoff was the team's agreement to help rebuild the damage that was done to the home. The constant taking of D-Rank missions did allow most shinobi a basic knowledge of carpentry. There was to be an expert around, but the genin would be there for the heavy lifting. Frankly, it was the least they could do for trashing the place, among other things.

After his initial treatment, meager as it was, Hayate slept. For twenty straight hours he did nothing but sleep. It was the best rest he had in years. Insomnia wasn't really a legitimate condition that he suffered through. It was a developed habit more or less. His early career was spent in enemy territory during a war. The snap of a twig, odd shifts in the wind, or the calls of wild creatures could be the only warning that was received. Catching the caveats from something that was out of place could be the difference between life and death. The most sure way to not be caught off guard was to be awake.

Over the years the freshly appointed jōnin had several reasons to stay awake. Missions deep within enemy territory, bodyguard assignments, boarder patrols, and simple survival scenarios all left Hayate with less and less incentive to sleep. Then there was the paranoia that seemed to plague most survivors of the Third Shinobi World War. Finally, and perhaps the most influential reason that prevented him from finding sleep was the worry he felt every time Yūgao walked beyond the village gates for a mission. She was the most precious thing in his life, and one of the few people he would gladly die for. Should she ever fall he knew that he could find a way to survive, but he didn't know how he would live without her.

Some of the other people he would gladly lay down his life to protect were the reason for his prolonged bed rest. His little squad of genin was something that he had approached with the intention of being a purely objective instructor. He planned on teaching them what they needed to know in order to survive in the shinobi world and thrive in their careers, but as the year wore on those kids made it far too difficult to remain objective. He started to care for them as if they were his own children. This was especially true with Yurushi.

The Uzumaki boy had an immense amount of potential and skill. Within him were the makings of greatness, and Hayate could see that so much would be possible for him if he was properly taught. He was intelligent, observant, and even tempered. Still, everything that the kid was pointed out the one thing that he had never been; a child. The Hokage had briefed Hayate on the teen's samurai training and upbringing. The young Uzumaki was never really raised, even by the standard of most shinobi children. Where the children of shinobi in Konohagakure enjoyed a taste of civilian life, Yurushi never got that. The boy wasn't raised. He was trained. From the moment he could hold a sword he was taught the life of a soldier.

A cough filled his chest with a dull ache, and he remembered that Yurushi was the very reason he was in this condition. Sure, Hayate was disappointed that the redhead had acted in poor judgment by letting his teammate go alone, but with the information they had it made sense. Sure, they all almost died. Sure, he was critically injured. All's well that ends well. However, he'd be lying if he told the kid he hadn't jacked up a mission any worse than things had gotten a few days ago. Honestly, it wasn't entirely Yurushi's fault. There was a lot going on behind the scenes that neither he nor the kid had figured out.

The elder had yet to divulge all that was happening in the shadows of the mission. Hayate had his theories, but the hypothesis had to be set aside when Nanushi was not responsible for the kidnapping. The personal study of the village leader held surprisingly little. The barrier was just for show, something to entice the mind and make one wonder. There was no telling what angle that shrewd old man was working, but there was something to his actions. That much was clear.

The door to his room slid open, and Yukimo walked in carrying a tray. Her father followed behind her. Hayate never knew the woman before her disappearance, but by reputation she was a caring and happy woman. Since their return she was silent, almost ghost-like. Yukimo never spoke beyond what was needed, never smiled, and never held eye contact. Her father expressed confidence that she would recover with time, but the man she loved was now dead. He had used her, threatened her life, and betrayed her long built trust. It was a lot to take in for anyone.

"It's time for your medicine Hayate-san," Yukimo addressed him dully. She lifted the jōnin's head up and brought a small cup to his lip. With minimal signs of complaint the bandana wearing ninja swallowed the bitter brew. Herbal medicine was effective, but it tasted awful. The warmth spread through his mouth to his throat and consumed his body. Finished consuming the horrid drink, Hayate let his head sink back into the pillow. The relaxation threatened to bring him into a blissful sleep, but there were more important things that he needed to do right now.

"Hayate-san," the elder said drawing Hayate's attention, "I believe I owe you a more complete explanation to answer all of the questions that you had."

"You certainly do," Hayate responded, leveling a knowing glance at the man. "I don't know what kind of game you were playing here, but I don't appreciate you placing my students' lives at risk."

"I had not intended for children such as your genin to be drawn into this," the wizened leader explained. "Yet, I am glad that they were there. Noboru's men were better trained than I had been led to believe."

The elder laughed at what must have been an incredulous look on the jōnin's face. He had been crossed before, but never by a client. Not so casually at least. "I suppose I should tell you a bit more about myself. With your nightly raids on my study I know you've already learned quite a bit, but there is much that I do not write down."

The bandana wearing jōnin kept his face neutral, but had the presence of mind to feel embarrassed. He was pretty certain that his sneaking about had gone undiscovered. "I lived in Yugakure in the days of my youth," the elder continued without addressing the topic. "Back then I was a slave. My parents died of a plague that beset the village, and the Temple of Jashin took me in. The plague was ravaging the city, and the only people who seemed to be able to cure it were the Jashinist Priests."

"What was this plague?" Hayate asked and tried to resist another round of coughing. He failed, and he hoped that the annoyance would be a temporary condition.

"To this day I do not know," the elder frowned. Yumiko sat on her knees, utterly silent, staring at her hands. Her presence was beginning to disturb the sword wielder, but the elder's voice won the battle for his focus. "It was a horrid thing, but the followers of Jashin appeared to have some measure of immunity. Everyone flocked to the religion for their protection. It didn't matter who they were; young, old, rich, poor, shinobi, civilian, everyone submitted to the leadership of the High Priest."

"And who was this person?" Hayate questioned.

"A man of insufferable cruelty," Nanushi's sober tone and farsighted gaze revealed there was a personal element to that response. "I have no doubt in my mind that he was responsible for causing the disease and spreading it throughout the city."

"What makes you think that?" Hayate wondered. It was a decent assumption. The priests could heal the illness and seemed unaffected, that alone would drive people to join the religion.

"It wasn't long after the influx of members that the High Priest began to seize total control of the city. Bit by bit he consolidated his power and began wielding it as a sword. I was young, not privy to much, and only realize what I know after thorough reflection and much hindsight, but I can recall even the shinobi were answering to him."

"Why?" As dumb a question as it sounded Hayate wanted to know. Especially since the history of Yugakure was connected to the past few days. "What was the purpose of such a power grab?"

"Power is its own end is it not?" The question floated in his mind with a sinister finality until the elder grinned and continued. He played too many games. "The High Priest began exploiting his followers, filling their minds with promises of eternal glory, unending power, and life everlasting. All that was required was unwavering faith and total devotion. Some grumbled, some turned away, but the vast majority submitted to his teachings."

"And that was when the human sacrifices became a regular practice?" Hayate deduced.

"I think they had always been a part of the religion," the elder replied. "I remember that there were other slaves that would simply disappear, never to be seen again, but you're right. The human sacrifices became more open. It was resisted by many, but all who fled were struck down by the plague."

"What is the purpose of these rituals that are performed?" The apparent purpose behind Noboru's ritual was to achieve eternal life. It didn't work too well though.

"Their purposes vary. Some were for the consecration of the temple, others for the forgiveness of sins, and others were simply to please Jashin," the elder responded.

"So the ritual that Noboru performed was a fake after all," Hayate assumed.

"No, that one was quite real," the old man replied quickly glancing at his daughter. She remained stone faced, and made no reaction to the conversation. Whatever feelings stirred beneath the surface remained there. "I simply misled him into thinking it would give him what he wanted."

The sly bastard was manipulating everyone surrounding this mission. The bedridden ninja wondered if Yumiko was an unsuspecting volunteer or if she had participated willingly. But why? Why go to such lengths? What secrets was Nanushi protecting?

"Is there really a ritual like that?" Hayate asked, suspicions burning. "Can someone actually become immortal from a religious ceremony?"

"Indeed," the elder confirmed. "The High Priest performed the ritual on himself. That was the day Yugakure was destroyed."

"What happened after?" Hayate inquired eager for the answer. He could see it in Noboru's eyes. He had been there. He had seen what others could only speculate and theorize.

"To thank his master for the gift of eternal life, the High Priest declared that a sacrifice was needed. The sacrifice that Jashin demanded was every life in the village. The other priests gave themselves up gladly. Ninja tried to fight the High Priest, but none could defeat him. I watched the man get run through with a spear and take a full salvo of shuriken to his back. Nothing stopped him. He slaughtered everyone that stood before him until the city was bathed in blood. I'll never forget the look of glee that was on his face as he killed men, women, and children alike."

"How did you escape?" Hayate knew there was a reason that the elder escaped, and he hoped that the man would speak on it.

"A jōnin of the village had decided that the fight was pointless. He gathered all who could follow him and fled the city. On the way out he found me and took me with him. Overlooking the village, watching it burn, hearing the cries of panic and death echoed from the streets I swore that I would never allow some monster destroy my home."

Hayate was beginning to understand, but some necessary answers remained hidden. A traumatic event would be a powerful motivator, and being in the company of a jōnin would provide the opportunity to learn. The elder had become a shinobi, the sealing array was evidence of that, but Hayate had not found more definitive proof beyond that. "So," the shinobi on the mend strained. "I'm guessing you were trained as a ninja then."

"I was," Nanushi replied. "What few survivors of Yugakure remained after that massacre regrouped and relocated. Our leader, Kazan, brought us to the capital and reported the incident to the daimyo. It was decided that the Shinobi Corp of Yugakure was to be dissolved, but the one who remained were retained in the employ of the daimyo. I was trained along with the surviving genin."

"I see," Hayate mulled over the history for a moment. The reason why the shinobi disappeared from the nation must have simply been a numerical matter. Too many were butchered by the High Priest of Jashin to even think about recovering full strength. It would have taken over a hundred years to begin piecing together a force of ninja, and that was just the quantity. There was no telling what kind of quality those ninja would have, or what techniques and bloodlines were lost forever. "What did you do for the daimyo?"

"That varied by the whim of the daimyo," the elderly ninja recounted. "One of the responsibilities we were tasked with was killing off whatever Jashinist remained. Often we destroyed anything connected with the cult, but I collected. The cult was a part of the village and its culture, and it was a part of me. I couldn't bring myself to be rid of any part of it. Despite what happened, they still took me in when I was alone. They saved the village from that awful disease. Their history provides lessons, lessons I believe that the future of Yugakure can learn from."

"Why us then?" Hayate wondered aloud. The elder was quite well versed in the shinobi life. He strung his enemy along until an opportune moment arose. At that point he let his enemy destroy himself. The old man may not be dangerous in combat like Hokage-sama is, but he was no less dangerous. A crafty mind can be just as lethal as any jutsu.

"You were requested by Noboru," the elder nodded in answer. "You were a necessary part of his ceremony. The rest of your team's involvement was a product of circumstance."

A cough escaped when Hayate first attempted to respond, but nothing followed. He did recall the man saying some bit about the blood of the enemy inside the cavern. A gentle sob could be heard from Yumiko. The woman was still staring down at her hands, but those fingers were tightly gripping the fabric of her kimono.

"Don't fret over her," Nanushi's voice cut in. "I warned her about that man and what he was after, but she wouldn't listen. I told her exactly how things would end, but she insisted on proving me wrong. She had a chance to insulate herself from that man, but never took it. Yumiko repeated filled her mind with the idea that the love she shared with Noboru was enough."

'_But it wasn't,_' the jōnin thought as the woman tried her best not to openly weep, and slowly failed. The tears flowed freely. It was sad. Honestly it was. He realized that Yumiko must have known exactly what was going on. She must have known, but she desperately clung to the belief that the Noboru that she knew was strong enough to abandon madness. '_Not all love stories are happily ever after. Some are star crossed, tragic tales that end in tears no matter how hard you try._'

It was a shame.

"She doubted the strength of his ambition, and his commitment to it," the elder added. The words he used seemed uncaring, but there was a hint of compassion in the man's voice. The cries bled for a moment before turning into whimpers. After only a few more minutes there was silence, leaving the jōnin with one last thought.

"Why did it fail?" The question had been festering in his mind for some time and now was the best chance at getting answers for it.

"Nobody knows the means or the method the High Priest used to attain immorality, or if it was even lasting," the wizened voice clarified. "In my youth I searched for some sign of his whereabouts but found nothing. Hopefully he's dead and forgotten along with the ritual he performed and the god he worshipped. After I realized that his simple curiosity about my past wasn't so simple, I let Noboru think that a purification ceremony would give him life eternal. Yumiko gave the man every opportunity to turn away. Yet he persisted, and, well, you saw the results."

'_Devious old bastard. I can't imagine the kind of shinobi you were in your prime,_' Hayate shuddered at the thought.

"Well, I have a meeting that I must attend to inform the village what has happened," the elder stated as he eased the door open. "If you have more questions I can address them later. The doctor in the village has treated your injuries as best he can, and we will monitor your recovery for as long as necessary. Take the time to rest until you feel ready to travel. I cannot thank you or your team enough for all that you have done on my behalf."

The elder stood and shambled from the room. Hayate looked out the window into the open skies. Speaking of team, he'll need to make sure that they aren't slacking on their training while he is bed ridden. They have proven themselves to be quite _capable_, and if they continue the Chūnin Exams may be a very real possibility. Hayate coughed and more blood splattered on his hand. Without a word, Yumiko wiped off his mouth and hand. Hayate tried not to look surprised. He had nearly forgotten that the woman was even still in the room.

"Thank you Yumiko-san," the ninja offered.

"Do you require anything Hayate-san?" The woman asked drearily.

"If you wouldn't mind fetching my students for me I would appreciate it," the man replied.

Yumiko immediately got up to leave. There was no emotion on her face, and Hayate couldn't help but feel for her. He didn't want to even imagine going through what she was facing. "Yumiko-san," the injured ninja stuttered, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for your loss. I know it doesn't mean much, but I am truly sorry."

The door slid open and without a sound, she was gone. Apologies can't bring the dead back to life. The woman could blame them, hate them, and hold it against them, but she couldn't deny that her lover's death was his own fault. Team Thirteen was only doing its job. All the while, Noboru was digging his own grave.

The shifting of wooden planks on the floor let him know that his team was beginning to file in. He had a particular exercise in mind, but there was some information that he needed first. There wouldn't be any immediate benefits for his genin, but the long term was what they needed right now. The door slid open and Yurushi walked in and sat down on his knees. Hanami followed behind him.

"How are you feeling Sensei?" The girl asked.

"I'm," Hayate started to answer before coughing violently, "better. Thanks for asking."

"You don't sound much better," Hanami responded with an uncertain tone.

"I'm not coughing up as much blood anymore so that's a plus," the jōnin pointed out. He noticed that his genius student was looking rather downcast. The boy was probably blaming himself still. Hayate sighed. Yurushi was a stubborn creature. Never openly confrontational in his hard-headedness, but once he got something into his brain he never let it go. A bit of his cousin rubbing off on him perhaps. Kenshi burst into the room, looking as if he was standing out in the rain.

"Sorry, I was drying off a little," the boy explained.

"Drying off? From what?" the white haired girl asked.

"Yurushi was sparring with me a little while working on that water walking technique," Kenshi's voice trailed off. Hayate could figure it out though. The young weapon smith was lacking in chakra control. He was improving, but needed to be diligent in his training to gain any real progress. Sparring on top of the water was a vast improvement from the last time the jōnin had observed his performance of the exercise.

"One of you, reach into my pack. You should find three strips of paper and I want each of you to take one," Hayate instructed as the students complied. Each sat with the paper in hand, and wondered while they waited.

"I heard that you used a Doton technique during your fight with Noboru's men, is that true Kenshi?" Hayate asked and the boy laughed nervously. "Never use a jutsu if you don't know exactly what it will do. The battlefield is no place for experimentation. There are more practiced and reliable methods to block a charging enemy, and using a chakra nature without proper training can be an extreme risk."

"Yeah, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing," Kenshi explained somberly. "I won't do it again though."

"Well since two out of three of you have dabbled in elemental transformations I figured I should teach you how to do it properly," Hayate was very interested in what was about to happen. "I want each of you to feed some chakra into those pieces of paper and we'll find out what element your chakra has a natural affinity for."

Kenshi's paper was already crumbling apart. He had a Doton affinity, not surprising given recent events. Hanami dropped hers with a small squeak once it caught fire. That was an obvious answer. Her father was a powerful Katon user, so her affinity for the art made sense. Yurushi's paper fell limp in his hand as the dampened parchment could no longer support its weight. That was a surprise. He really had no idea what to expect with Yurushi. He was a little disappointed that Suiton was the boy's affinity. Water was not an element that he had any real experience in, so he couldn't take a hands-on approach. It was as if fate wouldn't let him teach the boy much of anything.

"Kenshi, your chakra has a natural affinity for earth, so Doton no Jutsu are going to be easier to learn for you. Hanami, you'll be sticking with Katon no Jutsu training. Yurushi you will be learning some Suiton no jutsu, but my knowledge is limited in the area. I will give each of you training exercises so you can start getting a feel for how to do a nature transformation," Hayate expected some questions, but got none.

"What I want each of you to do is grab a leaf," Hayate started. "Kenshi I want you to make the leaf crumble, just like the paper. Hanami, you'll make the leaf burn. Yurushi, you will draw all of the water out of the leaf."

"What's the catch Sensei?" Hanami asked skeptically.

"The catch is you can't use anything but your chakra to pull it off," Hayate answered only to receive vexed stares, much to his amusement. "That means that you can't use any jutsu, techniques, or ninja tools to help you do it. This is pure chakra manipulation."

"So how long is this gonna take, 'cause that water walking took me forever to get down," Kenshi droned.

"Well I would think it would take you guys eight months to complete the exercise," Hayate began to explain before Kenshi moaned in disgust. "Realistically it takes most ninja closer to a year."

"A year!" The boy complained. "So I'm gonna have to wait a whole year before I can start using all those awesome Doton jutsu? Please, please, please tell me you know a shortcut."

"No shortcuts to greatness kid," the jōnin returned. "Now, I figure that after about three months into this little training exercise I can start teaching you guys _some_ new jutsu for you to make use of, but that depends on how quickly you progress."

"Well, I guess I'll go get started then." Kenshi said as he stood. "Sooner I get this thing done, the more awesome I can be."

Kenshi walked out of the room with Hanami not too far behind. Yurushi stood to leave, but Hayate thought that now was as good a time as any to have a little chat. "Yurushi, stay for a moment. There are a few things I want to talk to you about."

The Uzumaki boy knelt back down in silence. Fierce eyes stared back. The mixture of grey and blue made them look as if they were a cloudy sky set to break open. The red hair was lengthening, almost obscuring the left eye, but not quite enough to impair vision. Silence emanated from the stillness as the boy simply waited patiently. "Tell me Yurushi, do you want to be a shinobi?"

"Yes," the boy answered without hesitation.

"Really?" Hayate asked with slight surprise. He had been expecting a struggle or some conflict in his thoughts. "Why do you want to walk the way of the ninja?"

"That is my path, and to achieve my goals I need to walk down it," the teenager responded quietly.

"What are your goals then?" Hayate was genuinely curious. The last time he had inquired about the topic the boy didn't seem to know, or pretended not to.

"I want to help Naruto achieve his dreams," the Uzumaki reiterated from the last time he had faced this particular question.

"But that's not the whole story," the jōnin extrapolated from the boy's tone that he was holding something back. "Is it?"

"No," Yurushi looked at his Sensei with conflict in his eyes. He was trying to decide something, perhaps whether or not he would speak the whole truth. "I want to discover what happened to my clan. The village and the Hokage are keeping secrets from me. Someone in Konoha knows what happened to my clan, but they don't want Naruto or I to know what happened."

Hayate knew that the Uzumaki clan had close ties to the village, but nobody knew what happened to Uzushiogakure. Nobody. The survivors, wherever they sprung up, weren't even in the village when it was destroyed or were too young to remember what happened. The kid had suspicions but could find no answers, so conspiracy was the only option left. When dealing with the secrets of ninja, there was always conspiracy. The issue wasn't so much finding the answers as it was dealing with the answers that you find. Nothing good could come of what Yurushi would discover. Especially if he starts delving into his cousin's background.

"Why do you want to know so badly?" Hayate asked. He was really just fishing for any clue or hint at how he could keep his student from poking around in the dark corners of the village.

"My mother was hunted down because she was an Uzumaki, and Katsushiro-sensei brought me to Konoha because he thought it would be safer there than with him. If simply being an Uzumaki makes you a target then I want to know why. I need to know what Naruto and I are up against," Yurushi explained. The kid was serious. Dead serious. The bandana wearing jōnin sunk into his pillow.

"If you really want to do all of those things, then why did you throw yourself headlong into that fight a few days ago?" Hayate questioned. "It seems to me that you wouldn't be so eager to die if you really wanted to accomplish all of those goals."

The redhead opened his mouth to respond, but no noise could be heard. He sat there searching for something to say, but he had nothing. "I had to save you and Hanami," Yurushi whispered. "I had to save my friends."

"And I'm glad you did," Hayate answered with a grin.

Yurushi simply knelt there staring at his hands as they rested atop his knees. Hayate couldn't tell if the kid had nothing to say or was sulking in the blame he had accepted for that series of unfortunate events. It wasn't entirely the kid's fault; most of what happened was beyond his control. Yet, he'd be lying if he said that Yurushi hadn't made mistakes. The redhead strove for perfection. He would redouble his efforts to prevent another slip up from happening. Since there wasn't an immediate response in the works, the jōnin just decided to continue his one-sided conversation.

"In the cave, when those ninja were ready to crush you with their jutsu, you just stood there and accepted it. Why?" The prompt was just to check something. Yurushi had shown himself to be well prepared to sacrifice when needed, but there have been moments where his willingness was unnecessary.

"I didn't have time to escape," the young swordsman admitted. "I was already pushing myself beyond my limits. Kenshi had gotten Hanami out, and you were finishing things up with Noboru, everyone was safe. I had done what I set out to do and accomplished my goal, so I just waited."

"So you weren't concerned about learning all of those secrets that you wanted to uncover?" Hayate asked knowingly.

"I, well, uh," Yurushi stuttered as he began realize the truth. "No."

"Maybe, just maybe, you are more worried about protecting your friends than any other goal you think you have." Hayate theorized. "I think you could have escaped if you wanted to, but you held yourself back. You've been through a lot for someone so young, and you internalize all of it. Some burdens aren't meant to be shared alone."

Yurushi tensed slightly, which the teacher took to be an association with a touchy subject. The lives the child had taken were compounding, and while he didn't want to force the issue the added guilt wouldn't make things any easier. Yurushi had unresolved issues buried in the past, and from what Hayate could tell being in this village was bringing it all to the surface. "The last time I was here I," the redhead's meek voice paused. Eyes locked in the moment that it took for the teen to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. "I killed a man."

"That's alright," he tried to comfort the boy into elaborating.

"No it isn't!" Yurushi shouted. "A samurai isn't supposed to be quick to violence. The sword is a last resort."

"I'm not here to judge or condemn you Yurushi," Hayate calmed. "Just tell me what happened."

"We were making camp for the night, about a two hour's walk southeast of the village, and everything was fine. Sensei went to scout out the area and I was supposed to set everything else up. We'd done it a hundred times. Not even an hour after I made the fire our camp was surrounded by a bunch of guys. A few moved to steal the supplies out of our kart, but I told them to stop and drew my sword. They laughed at me and kept digging through our things. So I yelled at them again, but this time one of them drew a knife and told me to run off. I warned him that I'd attack if they didn't leave, but they wouldn't listen," Yurushi's words trailed off and the boy seemed increasingly disturbed by the retelling.

"I charged, and the thief who drew the knife stepped up. He," the child paused. There was a stirring image of seething anger on the boy, but he also seemed on the verge of tears. "He moved to attack."

"He left himself open didn't he?" Hayate asked. Of course the man did. It was a boy with a wakizashi. How much of a threat could he be? There was no way of knowing that a mere child had been trained so well. Training and instinct took over from there. In a flash of movement a voice that would have raised alarm was silenced and started pooling blood in an alleyway. Shaking his head, the jōnin relieved himself of the brief flashback to focus on his student.

"He didn't take me seriously," Yurushi spat back. "I slipped past his attempted counter and stabbed him in the chest."

"And how did his friends react?" The seasoned ninja knew that the friends of that bandit must have been two parts shocked and one part pissed. Retaliation would have been pretty immediate.

"I don't know," the genin answered. "The next thing I remember is kneeling by the fire trying to explain myself to Katsushiro-sensei. He never looked so disappointed before."

Silence. In some ways the simple fact that neither teacher nor student was saying anything bothered him, but Hayate was also at ease. Yurushi had opened up, which was what he had wanted for so long. Still, he wasn't entirely certain what he should say. He hadn't actually thought that the boy would speak so willingly. Beneath his bandana Hayate had come to think that he would have to interrogate the child to get the story.

"What bothers you more?" The teacher eased out of the quiet with careful words. "Are you more disturbed that you actually took a life? Or is it that it was all so easy?"

The child before him seemed to be broken by the truth. The redhead kept some modicum of composure, but there was the occasional sniffle. Such a downcast appearance was enough of an answer for Hayate. The genin was quite aware of his capabilities and those skills were tested regularly. Before coming to Konoha, however, there was nothing to compare himself against but for his caretaker. Commonly, the most shocking thing about a shinobi's first kill was how easily it's made.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Hayate stated. "Even the tenants of bushido declare that you fought with honor and your enemy died with honor."

"I know, but it went against everything I was taught," Yurushi responded.

"And what were you taught?" He didn't want to dig too deeply into open wounds, but this seemed to be the root of the emotional conflict.

"My sword is made for defending life not reaping it," the somber tone was more a resignation to his failure than anything else.

"Sometimes, to defend someone or something requires a loss of life," Hayate pointed out with a few coughs. He could see the anger rising in the redhead's face, but the teacher held up his hand to keep the child silent. "I know you don't like to hear that, and I don't either, but it's true. Peace, freedom, and safety, these things all have a price. Usually that is paid in blood."

"I didn't have to kill any of those people though," Yurushi grumbled as his fist clinched shut atop his knees.

"No, I guess you didn't," the jōnin agreed. "Though, can you guarantee the same outcome if you had done anything else?"

"I still didn't have to do it," the Uzumaki shot back. Hayate sighed deeply. He didn't want to tell his student that his philosophy was wrong, but the teen needed to be able to adjust and accept the fact that his job will sometimes require some unsavory things.

"During the war I was a chūnin and I served on several squads," the weary jōnin began. "Even then I had some skill with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, so I was typically used for scouting and reconnaissance. I never saw much combat, but each new mission was more intense than the previous. About a year after the war started I was assigned to a squad that was tasked to do recon on critical junctions in the supply lines that Iwagakure was using in their campaign against Suna."

Hayate cleared his throat rather forcefully, and noticed that his student was eagerly awaiting the rest of the story. He hated this memory, but the kenjutsu master knew that it would help to enlighten his student. "The village of Tsurui was a trading village sitting on a plateau in northern Yama no Kuni. It was also a critical junction for Iwa's weapon's supply lines. Crippling their capabilities to transport weapons through the city would have resulted in thousands of their shinobi being ill equipped for at least a few weeks. So we were sent in to discover the strength of their forces stationed in the village, and determine their battle readiness."

"How did you do that Sensei?" The ever curious child asked.

"We infiltrated the city using some carefully crafted disguises. We travelled around the village posing as either merchants or refugees and for two weeks we studied the way the shinobi reacted to potential threats, where they were positioned, where they patrolled, and a number of other things. It all went off without any problems until the night we left," Hayate paused holding back the aching in his throat preventing himself from coughing. The action was becoming like an itch that needed to be scratched.

"What happened?" Yurushi's demeanor had slowly been shifting from tense to relaxed as the tale was recounted.

"We were leaving the village," the jōnin began. "Each of us had split up and took different routes out of the city, and all at different times. This was so that at least one of us could return with the intelligence we gathered. I left early in the evening and cut through a marketplace hoping that I could sneak past patrols by hiding in alleys and blending in with the crowds. I was almost out of the village when I collided with some girl in between a couple of shops. I was just going to play it off as me being clumsy. When I noticed her though, she had her eyes fixed on my hitai-ate. I had thought it was in my pocket, but it must have fallen out when I ran into her."

"What did you do Sensei?" The redhead asked tentatively. He probably already had an idea, and given the context it wasn't hard to figure out.

"She knew exactly what I was, and she was just about to scream out for help. I couldn't afford to draw that kind of attention to myself, and I simply reacted. Before I even knew what I was doing the kunai left my hand. It was so fast. All of it happened in a blink. She was dead before she hit the ground."

"You killed her?" Yurushi scowled.

"I did," the Sensei confirmed. "She wasn't that much older than I was at the time, and she was a civilian. I robbed an innocent girl's life on reflex. I took everything of value that she had and tried to make it look like she was robbed so the Iwa shinobi wouldn't be too alarmed. Then, I completed my mission."

He didn't want to say anymore. That was never a story worth retelling, and it was taking all of his willpower to keep from breaking down from the resurfacing guilt. Coincidence. That was all it was. Just a happenchance moment that ended in blood. Hayate denied his hand the opportunity to touch the locket that was resting on his sternum. It stayed hidden; few people even knew it was there. He swore he would return it to that girl one day, but until then it served as a reminder to try and think before acting. A shinobi must always be in control.

"So is that what you want from all of us?" Yurushi asked as the sparks of a righteous anger smoldered behind his eyes. "Do you want us to become the kind of ninja that will do whatever it takes to finish a mission?"

"No," Hayate smiled. "I want you to be the kind of ninja that you have always been. I want you to be a ninja who will protect people with all of his strength."

The poor child looked horribly confused. It was as though the actions of the student and the desires of a Sensei had created irreconcilable differences. Perhaps this was the cause of the tension that had anchored itself deep in Yurushi's soul. He still couldn't separate from the samurai frame of mind. Still there were commonalities between student and teacher that he could work with. They shared a sense of guilt. They had things that were regretful, but Hayate had always come to terms with his actions. Yurushi just needed a new way of thinking.

"Let me ask you something. If you were to go back to the moments before you killed your enemies, knowing all that you know now, would you still draw your sword? Would you still stand and fight?"

Yurushi's eyes were set wide as his mouth slowly gaped open. Just as the redhead began to try and formulate some sort of response, Hayate coughed rather violently. When the jōnin had finished he held a single hand up toward his student to prevent the teen from getting up or speaking. "You don't have to answer that question. Not for me," Hayate explained. "Whatever answers you find are for yourself."

"I will meditate on this," the Uzumaki swore as he stood. The young ninja bowed deeply before crossing the room.

"Yurushi," Hayate caught the teen before he could leave. "I just want you to know that I am proud to be your Sensei. You are becoming an excellent shinobi, but more importantly, you've become a fine young man."

"Thank you Sensei," Yurushi hummed. "To be honest, I don't see myself the way you do."

"You don't need to," Hayate corrected. "Whether you see it or not, it's there. You'll find it soon enough."

A bow, a step, and the door slid closed. Hayate eased into the comfort of his pillow, and coughed another round. Settling in, he closed his eyes to try and get some more shut eye. His team had performed admirably. Each of them had grown so much over the past year and it got him thinking that perhaps it was time. '_I'll ramp up their training regimen and see how they handle a few extra missions. Then I'll decide. There's still plenty of time before the Chūnin Exams._'

* * *

The breeze was crisp. Another leaf fell off its branch and floated down toward him. Clouds hung in the sky and floated along lazily. Autumn was a beautiful time of the year, and he had almost forgotten that. Little could compare to the beauty of the heavens. The warm pallet of colors in the rising and setting sun, the soft glow of a full moon, all of them had an indescribable beauty. A close second to those things were the autumn trees. Katsushiro-sensei had always said that there was a certain beauty in death. A death with honor, on the field of battle, was a beautiful thing. Yet, as far as Yurushi was concerned, the array of color during the autumnal months best encapsulated the beauty that could be found at life's end.

Yurushi stretched out as he lay underneath the mighty elm. The tree was close becoming bare, as each shift in the wind would cause another leaf to fall from its perch. Most of the trees around the village were similar to the one above him. There were a few that were still lush and green, but they were all the way on the other side of the village, and right now Yurushi didn't feel like moving. Taking his training seal back to level three sapped any desire to move unless absolutely necessary.

The training Hayate-sensei had started them on was grueling. He hadn't thought that such a task would be so difficult. Drawing water out of a leaf using nothing but chakra sounds like an absurd task. Then again, so did climbing a tree without using your hands and walking on water, so Yurushi had taken this training in stride. Then he tried it. To say it was difficult was a dramatic understatement.

Five days had passed, and he still didn't have an inkling of an idea as to how to draw water from out of a leaf. He knew that there was water in the leaf, and he knew that he wanted it out, but he couldn't translate that when channeling his chakra. He had already asked Hayate-sensei for hints toward completing the exercise, but the man could offer no help. Apparently, since his Sensei was a natural Katon user, Suiton techniques were much more difficult for him.

Hanami hadn't made much progress despite already knowing a Katon no Jutsu or two. '_I guess performing a nature transformation is a lot different than simply molding the chakra for a jutsu,_' Yurushi reasoned as he felt himself drifting into blissful sleep. It was quickly interrupted as someone plopped down next to him with a frustrated growl.

"Why is this so hard?" Kenshi grumbled. "All I had to do was channel my chakra to make that slip of paper crumble, how could this be so damn difficult?"

Yurushi laughed a little at his friend's frustration and received a hardened stare in return. "Sensei said it would take time, so don't expect things to be immediate."

"I need to figure this thing out though," Kenshi whined. "Just think of all the awesome swords I can design if I could weave my chakra into the metal while forging it."

"I thought you already could," Yurushi quipped.

"Sure I can," Kenshi gloated, "but I could make better stuff with a nature transformation. Just think, a sword that's tailor made for my chakra. I'd have a weapon on par with anything that Kiri has."

"Kirigakure? Like the Ninja Swordsmen? Could you really do that?" Yurushi asked wondering if his friend was simply daydreaming or if something like that was even possible.

"Yeah. Why not?" Kenshi shrugged. "My clan is the greatest group of swordsmiths and weapon designers ever. Two of the seven swords that Kirigakure has were made by my clan, and my oldest brother is like some genius blacksmith or something, so I'm sure I could help him make all kinds of awesome swords."

Yurushi arched an eyebrow. Kenshi's clan had some amazing history if they had ties to artifacts like the ones Kirigakure had forged legends around. His friend always talked about his clan, but never really shared that much about them. It was possible that he simply didn't know that much about his clan or he just didn't want to talk. Either way, it wasn't Yurushi's place to pry into some other person's family secrets. The guy was the first ninja from his family in four generations or something to that effect. It was likely the rest of his family had forgotten many details of their shinobi past.

The redhead sat up again only to find his friend had gone back to his task of trying to make the leaf in his hand crumble apart. It really was a beautiful day and the weather was a boon to their spirits, training as hard as they were. Yurushi looked skyward smiling as his friend mumbled curses when he saw no progress.

"So," Kenshi started with strain in his voice. "Did you give up or something?"

"No, I'm just taking a bit of a break," the Uzumaki answered.

"A break?" The brown haired swordsman asked as he checked if he had caused the leaf to fall apart. "Dang it! Why take a break? Just go all out until you can't move anymore. That's what I do, and I sleep like a baby when I'm done."

"Yes you do, but I wake up long before you," Yurushi pointed out as he reached into his pack. "I trained for three hours while you were still sleeping. I try to pace myself and take breaks when I need to. You never know what could happen as the day goes on."

He started fishing out his writing supplies and an old scroll. The parchment had started to yellow with age, and that made the teen wonder how long it had been since he started this particular collection of haiku. Unravelling the paper revealed so much of his older works. It was a testament to how much he had grown as a writer, and as a person.

Yurushi again watched the clouds, and his thoughts drifted with them. They passed by so lazily but even their relaxed pace wouldn't keep them from disappearing out of sight after too long. The brush strokes dampened the blank parchment with ink as Hayate-sensei's question flooded his mind. '_Of all the battles I've fought I can't think of a single one where I would stand down._'

_Sailing in a dream_

"So, what are you writing all the time?" Kenshi asked after a huff of disappointment.

"Poetry for the most part," Yurushi answered as he finished writing the first line. "Sometimes I am designing fūinjutsu, but right now I am writing a haiku."

"Fūinjutsu? You can do that?" His fellow genin stopped what he was doing and stared at Yurushi with a rather impressed look on his face.

"I've studied for a long time now, but I'm just getting to the point where I can actually do something with it," the redhead's recalled his latest idea for a seal, but it was in the early stages. It was really little more than scribbles on paper that he hadn't even dreamed of testing out quite yet. After all the chaos that occurred during this mission the young Uzumaki decided to take his pet project seriously.

"Well I knew you were into all that stuff," Kenshi deadpanned. "I just didn't know that you were making your own. I thought you could only do the basics like just about everyone else. You know, storage scrolls, and some explosive tags."

"I've been doing that, but now I'm starting to work on something a bit more complex," Yurushi didn't want to go too far into explaining his newest project. It might not even work, so he didn't want to get Kenshi all worked up just yet.

"Gah!" Kenshi cried out in frustration. "This stupid leaf!"

Laughter rang out from behind the boys and both turned to find the elder of Yokkaichi village standing not too far behind them. "Training hard I see," the elder mused.

"Nanushi-sama," Yurushi addressed with a bow.

"Hey ol-, I mean, um, Nanushi-sama," Kenshi stumbled.

"Not used to formality are we?" The elderly man asked jokingly to which Kenshi sweat nervously. "Address me as you wish. I am in your debt young man. You brought my daughter back to me, and I think that earns leniency in the areas of social decorum."

"It was nothing old man Nanushi!" Kenshi laughed as he eyed the leaf in his hand.

"May I?" The seasoned leader asked with hand outstretched gesturing toward the leaf that Kenshi held on to. The exchange was made as the former shinobi studied the leaf. Palming the piece of greenery, Nanushi focused intently until a grin of satisfaction emerged on his face. Opening his hands, dust fell along with Kenshi's jaw.

"How did you do that?" Kenshi breathed in disbelief. "Please, tell me how you did that."

"It is all a matter of how you focus your chakra," the village leader answered as he reached for another leaf and palmed it just as the last one. "Let your chakra flow through the subject, and then imagine the transformation that you wish to take place. Doton chakra breaks down or builds up."

Kenshi watched amazed as the leaf the elder was working with emerged and was tossed to him. Kenshi caught it, and stared. "This thing is like a rock!"

"Imagine your chakra to be like the bricks of a great wall. Then, dismantle the chakra brick by brick to tear something down. Or, build up the bricks to reinforce the strength of the object," the elder instructed.

"Thank you Nanushi-sama!" Kenshi exclaimed. "Do you think you could help my friend figure out a Suiton transformation?"

"It is the least I could do for the one who saved my daughter," the man returned with a weathered smile. "Imagine your chakra is the current of a mighty river and let it carry the water where you wish it to go. Your chakra is the path, not the destination."

"Thank you Nanushi-sama," Yurushi bowed.

As the elder walked away Yurushi turned back to his unfinished poem. Picking up the brush, his hand guided the even strokes and carefully the lines took form. The body of the poem gained substance as the second line was finished.

_Lackadaisical journeys_

The breeze kissed his skin and the redhead turned toward the sky to see a new set of clouds had taken the place of the ones he was watching before. However lazily they seemed to move, the clouds were travelling faster than they appeared. However aimless they seemed to be, they moved with purpose. Wherever it was they were heading it was to bring shade, or rain, or inspiration to whoever was beneath them.

_Floating autumn breeze_

Setting the ink back to the page Yurushi set to finish the last line of his craft before it could escape his memory. He blew on the still wet parchment to get the scroll to dry quicker. Satisfied with his work, Yurushi rolled up the scroll and placed his equipment back in his pack. He debated getting up to travel across the village and get one of the still green leaves to be found in the village. He decided against it and lay back down beneath the old elm tree.

Reflecting on the new information would take place later. Kenshi could have asked for a private training session with the retired shinobi, but instead requested help for a friend. Sensei had been right. His recent battles had been fought with the sole purpose of keeping his friends safe, beyond that little else mattered. He had taken three lives in the process and more blood covered his hands, but he was no longer alone in that. The rest of Team Thirteen had done the same. They had all killed for one another; protecting each other no matter the cost.

'_This must be what Hayate-sensei meant when he said that there was more honor in living with my failures,_' Yurushi reasoned to himself as he remembered the day he became a genin. '_I didn't hesitate in killing my enemies. Katsushiro-sensei would be cross with me for that, but I can't think of a reason why I shouldn't fight. Kenshi and Hanami are alive because I didn't hesitate. I think I can live with that._'

"Ahhh!" Kenshi groaned. "These leaves are too dried out! I can't tell if the stupid things are crumbling because of me or no. Well, I'm gonna go find a tree that's still green. I'll see ya later Yurushi."

"Later Kenshi," Yurushi waved as his partner rushed off.

'_Yeah, I can live with that,_' the redhead confirmed to himself.

Left to his own thoughts, the young Uzumaki retreated within himself. It was time for an experiment. He searched out for that balance between the physical and the spiritual, and in his core he could feel the wellspring of strength. Channeling his chakra, he let it surge throughout his body. Reigning in the power, the teen began moving it from limb to limb. He began feel its ebb and flow. Drawing upon that feeling, the teen imagined the flow of his chakra to be a rushing river full of bends and breaks.

It was a subtle shift, but he could feel the difference. His chakra began to take on a different feel. It was no longer that perfect balance, but had an altered center. It ran wild in his bones and he could feel it swim beneath the skin. Yurushi let the river of power carry him and it didn't take long to get lost beneath it. It felt like drowning, and then he lost focus. Just as quickly as the feeling had come, it was gone. '_I'll have to work on holding it just a bit longer,_' the redhead reasoned to himself.

Yurushi sighed. That was what a nature transformation felt like. It was difficult to maintain, and that further heightened his opinion of Hanami's skills. The fact that she could use a jutsu like that spoke volumes about her potential. The young ninja lay back down beneath the tree and watched as more clouds drifted by. "I think I'll take it easy for now," he said to himself as he soaked in the beauty of an autumn afternoon. "Just until I'm ready to try the leaf again."


	17. Coming and Going

**Chapter 17: Coming and Going**

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * *

His hands were pushed deep into the pockets of his jacket. The sun was starting to sink ever closer to the horizon and the long, stupid, day that he had put up with was thankfully coming to an end. Why on earth had he ever thought that being a ninja would have been something exciting? Naruto, to say the least, was disgruntled.

'_Stupid missions!'_ The blond boy thought as he walked down the winding streets toward his home. '_These things aren't missions! They're just silly chores!_'

People on the streets hushed as he passed by. Their conversations, whatever they had been, were shifting to a different subject as they caught sight of him. Some gazed with scorn, but a precious few looked with something akin to curiosity. Whatever they thought of him in the past, they didn't know what to make of him as a shinobi. Hopefully, it was a step in the right direction. Naruto loved the village, but his village didn't seem to love him. Maybe, just maybe, his service as a shinobi would help people to see the boy and not the beast.

His team of Sasuke and Sakura-chan had made some progress. Their test went swimmingly as far as fighting one of the strongest jōnin in the village goes. The fox faced blond had even impressed his rival, not that Sasuke would ever admit to being impressed, but the look in the Uchiha's eyes had been telling. Naruto had come so close to getting one of the bells. Kakashi trapped him, or so the silver-haired cyclops had thought. Just when his Sensei felt safe he made his move. Using a Kage Bunshin to test out the bait Sensei had laid gave him the opening, but the attack was interrupted by Sasuke's shuriken.

Naruto could have sworn that the raven haired bastard had done that on purpose. The Uchiha claimed that he didn't see Naruto sneaking up on Kakashi-sensei when he let his shuriken fly, but the knuckleheaded ninja wasn't buying it. He had figured that Sasuke was just looking out for number one, but then he went and offered the blond his own lunch. '_I really thought Sasuke didn't care about anyone else,_' Naruto recalled. '_I mean we've never been friends or anything, but I didn't think for a million years that he would help me out even if it was just to help himself._'

In training and in their _missions_ Naruto began to notice what felt like a growing respect between himself and Uchiha Sasuke. It was a begrudging respect for sure. Sasuke would make fun of his moments of ineptitude at every possible opportunity, and the orange clad Uzumaki would just grate on every last nerve of Sasuke's when the duck haired teen was acting like a snob. Still, when there was work to be done they would bury the hatchet for a moment and do what they needed to do. Naruto laughed a bit remembering their last meeting. '_Being on a team with Sasuke is actually kind of fun. Better than I thought it would be,_' Naruto hummed to himself as he turned the corner.

Sakura-chan, as beautiful as she was, was still less than receptive to his advances. Granted, she wasn't making any headway in her pursuit of Sasuke either. As long as the forever perturbed rookie of the year didn't give the girl a moment's thought, the blond saw hope. There was a noticeable lack of an edge to her words of late, and her praise of his skills was occasionally voiced. It really brought the whisker faced preteen nothing but joy to hear her compliments, even if she only gave them when she thought Sasuke couldn't hear her. '_She totally digs me,_' Naruto reasoned as he edged ever closer to his apartment building. '_She just doesn't know how to break it to Sasuke yet._'

His stomach growled and he knew that he needed some ramen pretty bad. The problem was he was out of spending money until his next _mission_. The D-rank missions didn't pay well, but Kakashi-sensei had them doing one every other day or so. He was responsible with his earnings, saving to pay rent, and putting some away for rainy days. Then there was the Ramen Fund. This was money set aside for the sole purpose of being spent at Ramen Ichiraku. He had gone to the ramen stand almost daily since Yurushi had left. That was just over three weeks ago, and the Ramen Fund was bone dry right now. Cup ramen wasn't near as good as Teuchi's, but you gotta make do sometimes.

Climbing the stairs that led to his home, Naruto felt a bit of a burning in his legs. Today's training was intense. Team collaboration attacks, formation practices, and mock-combat drills were all on the training menu. Kakashi-sensei was putting Team Seven through the ringer. The aloof jōnin was a good guy. Kind of distant, but Naruto could tell that the guy really cared. He knew a lot, and had really helped him sharpen his skills and get them to fit with the rest of his team. The guy had no problem working his genin late into the day, but he seemed to have a problem getting anywhere on time. It was perpetual tardiness, but Naruto figured it was just a quirk. It was an annoying quirk, but mostly harmless.

'_I still wonder what he's reading all the time,_' the blond imagined as he turned the key to his apartment door. Opening it he found the light in the living room on. It was a strange discovery because he distinctly remembered turning it off before he left, and sending a clone to double check when he couldn't remember. Noiselessly, he maneuvered around his home. Each step feathered the floor as he stalked the hallway. Passing by his room, which seemed undisturbed, he found the door to Yurushi's room closed. It had been open the entire month of his absence.

Cracking the door open slowly, the room looked dark. Naruto poked his head through the small opening he made and found the bed occupied. The light from the hall filtered through and the young Uzumaki could just barely make out a few strands of red, shaggy looking hair. A broad grin grew on his face as he realized his cousin was finally home. '_Now it's time for a little wake-up call of my own,_' the prankster began scheming as he tiptoed away from Yurushi's room.

Walking to the kitchen, the blond took stock of his possibilities. He wished he had the shaving cream still, but Yurushi quickly caught on to the reasons he bought certain things. Foodstuffs could be snuck through his cousin's keen suspicions since they could always serve their designed purpose, but shaving cream was more difficult to explain since Naruto couldn't even shave yet. '_Whipped cream should do pretty well,_' the mischievous boy figured as he grabbed a spoon.

Naruto walked back to the redhead's room to find his cousin had shifted. A hand, open and outstretched was hanging over the edge of the bed. The blond tried to contain himself. '_It's like he wants to be pranked. I swear this is so easy,_' Naruto humored himself as he gently dolloped a healthy serving of whipped cream into his cousin's begging hand. The look of serenity on Yurushi's resting face was priceless.

Carefully, Naruto leaned forward and whispered a breath near his cousin's ear. The swordsman's hair was getting pretty lengthy, which meant that it'll be all the more entertaining for the blond. His cousin shifted at the air passing on his face, but it didn't draw the desired effect. Naruto blew another gentle breeze on his cousin's ear and this time the redhead swatted the side of his head. The whipped cream splattered everywhere, getting all over the guy's cheek, ear, and hair. Seeing those blue-grey eyes fly open in confusion and sudden understanding once they locked with Naruto's made the boy erupt in laughter.

Noticing the chance to make a tactical retreat, the blond took off. Dashing out of the still dark room, and running into his own small sanctuary. Without missing a beat he opened the window. Just as he took a step out onto the window sill he could hear his cousin thundering through the hall. Naruto jumped down to the street below, laughing wildly. Looking back up he saw Yurushi leaning out the window and point at him.

"I'm going to get you for that Naruto!" The redhead yelled, "You are _so_ going to pay!"

"Only if you can catch me," Naruto gibed gleefully.

Yurushi jumped down, but the blond took off. Jumping to the rooftops, Naruto led his cousin on a chase across the village. Dinner, hunger, these things were long forgotten as the boy laughed at Yurushi's growing ire. One thought was in the genin's mind as his blue eyes scanned his haphazard path. '_Yurushi is home again!_'

"Get back here Naruto!" The teenager shouted to him. The command was ignored of course, but it felt good. There was warmth from the nostalgia from pulling a fast one on somebody, and then there was the twisted pleasure that came from knowing that he was in no real trouble from Yurushi. Well, no trouble he couldn't live with at least. As mad as his cousin might be, the redhead wouldn't stay that way.

The blue eyed boy took a glance back to see his closest family not too far away from him. Adjusting his hitai-ate, Naruto saw Yurushi's countenance shift from anger and frustration to something else entirely. The redhead seemed to have just figured something out. Naruto was wary. He wasn't going to let the sword wielding genin to catch up to him and exact his justice. The blond formed his hands into a familiar hand seal and prepared to create some Kage Bunshin to throw off his pursuer.

"Hey Naruto," his cousin shouted. "I almost forgot! We have to celebrate you becoming a genin!"

"Alright," Naruto grinned. There was only one place to celebrate anything worth celebrating. "I'll race you to Ichiraku's then!"

* * *

Setting the bowls down, Teuchi grinned with pride. The two boys had really become quite the pair over the years. The redhead was polite, reserved, and disciplined. Naruto was loud, rascally, and enigmatic in the most humorous ways. In spite of all their differences, they took to each other. It warmed the old chef's heart to see that Naruto was no longer alone. Although, the chef certainly wished Naruto didn't make such a mess of himself before dropping in to eat. At least Naruto wasn't the mess this time around, and clean up was always something a hot towel and some water could handle.

"You'll never guess what happened next," Naruto exclaimed breaking his chopsticks. "Itadakimasu! Then, he followed me *slurp* yeah that's good, *slurp* and he asked me *slurp* to train him."

"Take your time Naruto," Yurushi gently scolded. "It's not going to run away, so there's no need to be rude."

"Ahh, that's the stuff," the blond sighed contentment as he sat down an empty bowl. "Keep 'em comin' pops!"

"Sure thing Naruto," Teuchi's mirth overflowed. That boy had the healthiest appetite he had ever seen. It was always a challenge to get Naruto to a point where he was full, but it was a challenge that Teuchi was happy to accept. The kid had come a long way from the whimpering little boy who had stumbled into his shop one day. Teuchi remembered how gloomy Naruto looked, and he never knew what the problem was, but he figured it was nothing a bowl of steaming ramen and a friendly face couldn't cure. That simple moment established a safe-haven for the kid, and an irreplaceable customer for Teuchi. "So what happened next?"

"Well, Konohamaru told me that he wanted to beat his grandpa so people would see him for him and not just as _Omago-sama_," Naruto continued while waiting for his second helping. "I figured I'd help him out 'cause I know how he felt and I've been looking to get back at old man Hokage ever since he tricked me into busting myself three years ago."

"You can't be serious," Yurushi deadpanned. "Hokage-sama has mastered over a thousand jutsu. There is nothing you could use that he hasn't seen before."

"Yeah that's what I told Konohamaru," Naruto nodded. A face splitting smile emerged the very moment Teuchi set down another bowl of the blond's favorite dish. Ayame was in the back already working on more. Serving Naruto was a sweet, sweet science now. "So I told him *slurp* that we were gonna *slurp* need to come up with *slurp* a brand new jutsu to beat him. Lemme get another."

Teuchi added the now empty bowl to the newly started pile. He should start trying to clean them off now, but he was actually interested in Naruto's little tale. The kid was on pace for about three more, so the dishes could wait. That boy always seemed to get into the wildest situations, and the master chef simply hoped that little habit wouldn't translate into too much danger as Naruto progressed as a ninja. "So you and Konohamaru created a new jutsu?"

"Sure did," Naruto nodded. "I call it the Oiroke no Jutsu, and I created a variant jutsu on the fly called the Hāremu no Jutsu. I even used it in battle to defeat his Sensei. That pervert in shades never knew what hit him!"

"I don't even want to know," Yurushi decided with dread in his voice. The chef burst into laughter watching the elder Uzumaki try his hardest not listen to Naruto's explanation of the technique.

"So how did your mission go Yurushi?" Teuchi asked as he gave a new bowl of ramen to a now salivating Naruto.

"It went well enough," the boy answered plainly. "It should have been a lot worse, but we found the elder's daughter and no one was hurt too badly."

"What *slurp* happened?" The hungry blond asked as he devoured his meal.

"The whole mission was just a trap," Yurushi answered. "One of the villagers had kidnapped the elder's daughter and had recommended the elder pay for a mission to have her found. The guy even recommended my Sensei for the mission. All of it was because he wanted to do some sort of ritual that would have made him immortal."

"Whoa," Naruto had stopped eating and gawked at his cousin. Teuchi was equally amazed. These kids were involved in some rather dangerous things. He knew the world was far from safe for the shinobi. Hell, the world isn't really a safe place for anyone but shinobi live in the darkest corners of the world. He had hoped, however, that kids like the pair of Uzumaki in front of him were spared from the worst of it. Yurushi had never been involved in something so potentially life threatening before. '_I guess every ninja has that one mission that shows them the realities of their job for the first time,_' Teuchi determined.

"I totally want a mission like that!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No Naruto, you don't," Yurushi mumbled.

"Well it sounds a lot better than all my other missions," Naruto stated as he returned to his food. "All we have been *slurp* doing so far is chores *slurp* like pulling weeds and taking inventory at clothing stores."

"I told you that there was nothing glamorous about the life of a genin," Yurushi droned.

"Can I get another?" The whiskered blond asked Teuchi. "Well I was hoping for something that _looked_ like a real mission, at least every once in a while."

"I'm sure Hokage-sama is just waiting for something that requires your particular talents," the ramen chef offered as explanation while waiting for his daughter to finish making the next bowl.

"Well I hope he finds something soon. I need to prove just how great of a ninja I can be," the wide eyed genin quipped.

"Just who do you need to prove this to?" Yurushi asked indignantly.

"Myself!" Naruto answered with equal heat. "For the longest time I've been told that I can't hack it as a shinobi, and that I was no good at everything. I've never really bought into it, but after what I just learned it made me wonder. Did they just doubt me or did they doubt the thing inside me. I have to prove to myself that I can be the same kinda ninja I always bragged about being. Once I do that then I don't have to worry about what anyone thinks I can't do, no matter why they think it."

"What did you learn?" Yurushi wondered quizzically. "And what thing inside you?"

Teuchi knew. The Kyūbi no Yōko was the _thing_ inside Naruto. The ramen chef hadn't known what to make of all that business initially. In the wake of the demon's attack his business was destroyed, his daughter was distraught, and his wife was dead. When he had heard talk of Naruto it was so easy, so very easy, to transfer all of that blame. It was easy to blame the child for the actions of the beast. It was too easy to hold Naruto responsible for forcing Ayame to grow up without a mother. Looking back at the thought, at how easy it was to be angry at a child for something he never did, it brought chills down Teuchi's spine.

Then one day a blond haired five year-old stumbled into his shop. His big, blue eyes were still leaking fresh tears and a hand was trying desperately to stop the flow. The boy thought he had ducked into an alley, and looked frightened when he met the stern gaze of the chef. At that moment is was hard, so very hard to have anything but compassion on the boy. For all of the talk, and all of his thoughts, Teuchi just couldn't see Naruto as the demon he held. All he saw that afternoon was a little boy, lost, and alone. He was hungry, and not just for ramen. Naruto had been starving for someone to care, and Teuchi chose to act as he would want his own daughter to be treated if she stood in Naruto's shoes.

"Well, I, um," Naruto stumbled over his words, scratching at the back of his neck.

"I'm just going to check on that bowl of ramen," Teuchi said. "I'll be right back."

Slipping into the back of his shop, Ayame was preparing a new batch of Naruto's miso ramen. He put a finger in front of his lips silently asking her to act like he wasn't there. Standing by the doorway he couldn't make out any sounds just yet. Ayame tried handing him the bowl and Teuchi waived it off. He was waiting for a cue to reenter. This was supposed to be a private family moment, and he didn't want to make it awkward with his presence.

"The Kyūbi is sealed inside me," Naruto admitted. The voice was just barely audible, spoken in hushed tones. "It happened the day I was born."

"That explains a few things," Yurushi hummed sounding thoughtful. "I'll have to go over my notes and see if I can piece anything else together with this information."

"What?!" Naruto barked. "Doesn't this bother you? Aren't you going to hate me, or blame me, or look down on me or something?"

"Why should I?" Yurushi answered. "This doesn't change anything between us. You're still my cousin even if you have a bijū sealed into you. Like I said, I'll need to look into this again, but this could give me another angle to work with. I may be able to find some more answers for you. This could help us figure out who your parents are and what happened to our clan."

"So, this doesn't bother you?" Naruto asked disbelieving. "Like, not even a little bit?"

"No," the redhead responded.

Teuchi was glad. That boy Yurushi really did care about his family. It had been kind of unbelievable that someone related to Naruto just sort of happened their way into the village one day, but they clung to each other like any other family. No matter how one felt about the other, they always were looking out for one another. His daughter handed him a bowl of the blond's ramen, and the chef decided that this was his signal to return to the front. The heavy conversation was over, and if he waited too long then Naruto would start yelling. Nobody needed that.

"Order's up," he declared setting the bowl in front of his favorite customer.

"Well," Naruto started as he absent mindedly attacked the bowl. "I'm still wanting to go *slurp* on a real ninja mission *slurp* and not these baby ones!"

"Naruto," Yurushi sighed. "You should just take the missions that are assigned to you. You'll get a C-rank mission when your Sensei believes you are ready to take one."

"No way!" Naruto protested. "I'm totally demanding a C-rank. If old man Hokage doesn't want to give me one then I just won't leave the assignment office until I get one!"

"I don't know Naruto," Teuchi decided to try to be a voice of reason as he set down the blond's next bowl. "I think Yurushi's right. These missions are serious business and you wouldn't want to make the Hokage mad at you."

"But I have to prove to myself that I can be a real ninja!" Naruto's eyes shone fiercely. His determination was just as legendary to the older ramen chef as the boy's pranks were to the rest of the village. "The Hokage will understand why I want one. Besides, I'm going to be Hokage one day, and if I keep doing all these kiddie missions I'll never know when I'm ready to be Hokage."

"I still don't think you should push the envelope," Yurushi admitted as he lay down the money for the tab as Naruto finished his last bowl. "We should get home. You'll need rest no matter what kind of mission you get."

Teuchi grabbed the stack of empty bowls and walked them back to the sink. Taking a wet cloth, he returned to the front. Wiping down the counter the restaurateur caught a glimpse of the two boys walking home between the flaps hanging at the entrance to his business. He couldn't help but laugh to himself. There was something about those boys. It was like there was an air of destiny about them, which made thoughts of Naruto all the more funny. That kid was going to do something great eventually, but right now he was such a goofball.

"What are _you_ laughing at?" Ayame asked, suspicious of him as she maneuvered her way behind the front counter.

"Those two kids," Teuchi admitted. "I know that they're just kids, and that Naruto is still immature, but I can't help but think that they are going to change the world someday."

"You really think so?" His daughter asked wistfully.

"Yeah," he answered as he continued his work. "Yeah, I really do."

* * *

The still of the room was encouraging. The bed was all too inviting. The cool pillow was inescapable. He probably should have actually gotten up a long time ago, but Yurushi couldn't bring himself to care. He was tired. He had tried to rest after coming home, but Naruto had disrupted his slumber. He was perfectly fine with that since they were finally able to celebrate Naruto's graduation from the Academy. The prank could have been left out though.

Twisting around in bed, Yurushi was debating whether to actually get up this time. His team had the day off today, and he was wiped out from travel. His Sensei reported to the hospital for follow up treatments. Apparently he would be alright, but the coughing would be a persistent condition. While the redhead no longer felt so guilty about his Sensei's injury, he still felt bad about the situation. Hayate-sensei had said that it was time to move on, let the past be past, and learn from mistakes so the future will be better.

Though he was being uncharacteristically lazy right now he would eventually begin his personal training exercises. He was getting much better at holding the feeling of his nature transformation. He felt as though he was getting the hang of it, and perhaps he would soon try his luck with the leaf once more. Perhaps after his katas he'd try it. Then while waiting for Naruto to come back home Yurushi determined to spend time researching the development of his seal. The young Uzumaki felt as though he was coming closer and closer to a breakthrough. Maybe afterward he could train with Naruto for a bit, just so he didn't feel like he had wasted a day.

Naruto's status as the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, while shocking, was not a deal breaker by a long shot. If anything it was another missing piece in a much larger puzzle. The blond's role as the demon's jailer was connected somehow to the clan. Fūinjutsu was the one thing that Uzumaki were feared for, the one thing that they excelled at, and the one thing that could make a jinchūriki. The Shodai Hokage possessed the Mokuton which could suppress the chakra of the bijū, and he fought against Uchiha Madara. The Uchiha possessed the Sharingan, and Madara was known to use his to summon and command the Kyūbi in battle. There was a connection.

The Shodai and Madara fought a massive battle at Shūmatsu no Tani. Legend told that the valley was formed by the scars that were left in the earth from their fight. It was said that Madara unleashed the Kyūbi against the Shodai, but there was no record of what happened to the great demon at the conclusion of their combat. Madara's defection came in the years after the official founding of the village and the Shodai's marriage to Uzumaki Mito. The redhead recalled that the matriarch of his clan was a master of fūinjutsu.

Thoughts were swirling through his mind as he stirred and pulled himself out of bed. Going through his morning routines he allowed his mind to wander. A bijū would not simply be allowed to roam free. It was far too powerful and could have been used against the village if captured by someone else. If the matriarch of the Uzumaki was present, at least for the aftermath, of the battle between the founders of Konohagakure then she could contain it.

"Would she make her husband a jinchūriki?" Yurushi asked himself as he prepared to brush his teeth. '_No, if something ever went wrong with the seal while she wasn't there then the beast could break free. The Mokuton could suppress the chakra, but even if the Shodai survived the seal breaking there would be no way he'd be in condition to stop the Kyūbi._'

Spitting and rinsing his mouth out, the redhead reasoned that Mito would have sealed it in herself. This made several things fall into place. The arrival of the contingent of Uzumaki ninja before the death of the Matriarch was for a very specific purpose after all. That purpose was the creation of a new jinchūriki. It was done in secret. It had to be secret. The beast had passed from all public record or knowledge. The wheels were turning in Yurushi's mind and things were starting to fit together.

'_One of the Uzumaki that arrived in the village was the host of the Kyūbi. Most likely it was the youngest, Uzumaki Kushina,_' Yurushi reasoned to himself. This was the most probable option since the rest were reported dead long before Kushina was. Her death was possibly reported to draw attention away from her continued existence. Perhaps, within the walls of the village she was able to live life normally, but outside the confines of Konohagakure no Sato she was dead. The question was why.

'_Why would they go through the trouble of covering it all up?_' Yurushi wondered as he sat down at his desk. Unravelling the scroll that took up the bulk of the space on the wooden surface, the redhead pushed his questions aside. The riddles could wait a bit longer, at least until he could reference his suspicions against what records he could access. Right now, he decided, he was going to work on his newest creation. Reaching out he grabbed some of his more recent notes that had been jotted down on sheets of loose paper. Studying his conclusions from his last failed attempts he was able to recall what he had planned on trying.

The sketches of sealing arrays accompanied by fūinjutsu formula littered the parchment. Setting them all down Yurushi walked to his bookshelf and selected a tome that Jiraiya had given him. The subject was on the basics of fūinjutsu theory as they were applied to kekkai ninjutsu. Sealing techniques were commonly used to maintain large-scale barriers. This was mostly for the sake of permanence. There was also the convenience of not needing to reapply a barrier every so often or maintain it up manually for long periods of time.

Turning to a particular passage, the teen read up on how certain aspects of sealing arrays were designed to detect chakra. '_A general detection array will simply acknowledge a source of chakra interacting with the barrier. This can be further modified to allow an appropriate counter-action to take place by either allowing for safe passage, preventing entrance, or another command depending on the nature of the technique. A detection array can be either widespread or narrowed in focus,"_ Yurushi read over the last half of the last sentence and sat back in the seat.

He needed to find a way to make a seal detect the usage of chakra with a very narrow focus. Then there would be the need to transmit that chakra between sets of seals that were linked together. The last part wasn't so hard. Setting up a seal to communicate with other seals wasn't too difficult a concept. It was frequently used in establishing barriers, but also used to create fūinjutsu traps. A large kekkai ninjutsu could be rigged to activate other independent fūinjutsu as a means of capturing, killing, or slowing down an intruder. So the notion of a seal transmitting information to another was well established fūinjutsu theory.

The real challenge was going to be getting the seals to transmit a specific kind of information and to only do it when the technique was activated. Yurushi skimmed over his notes. The array he had drawn up should work. It required a flow of chakra to initiate the higher functions of the seal. The chakra required was minimal, just enough to transmit the data, and establish the safeguards. A series of limiters were created so the user wouldn't accidently kill themselves of chakra exhaustion from unknowingly trying to transmit information half way across the world.

The redhead had drawn up several possible arrays that could be used to establish a link between the seals. One in particular, he thought would work best. Its design was simplistic enough and worked like the transmitter and receiver of a radio. A certain set of hand seals would determine if the seal would establish a link between all of the _sister seals_, or just one in particular. Integrating it into the activation and limiter arrays shouldn't pose too much of a challenge.

The real decision was how the detection array would be used. The bulk of the detection arrays were general. He recalled his mother had some scrolls that dealt with spotting specific chakra nature transformations, but nothing that would narrow the focus the way that he wanted. '_I guess this means that I'm going to have to get creative. If I go to the archives I may be able to find scrolls on techniques that enhance hearing and voice alteration. If those had notes on the theory behind the techniques, then I might be able to find a sealing array more similar to what I am looking for,_' Yurushi thought as he began to visualize his method of integrating the various sealing arrays that he theorized would work. '_That would be a lot easier than trying to draw something up from scratch._'

His thoughts were cut short as a loud crash was heard. The sound of a door slamming shut and someone rushing their way through the small apartment startled the redhead. Naruto wasn't supposed to be home so soon. Getting up, the teenage Uzumaki decided to investigate who had chosen to pay a visit. Walking down the hall he could hear a clatter in Naruto's room. Opening the door he found his cousin, hunched over his travel pack stuffing a variety of items inside. Sniffing a shirt, Naruto shrugged and threw it into his luggage.

"Naruto," Yurushi addressed curiously, "are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered hastily, but still there was a wide grin on display. "I'm going on a mission! A real mission!"

"What's the mission?" Yurushi asked while silently hoping and praying that Naruto didn't make a complete fool of himself in front of the Hokage. Not that it mattered much to the blond, because he had gotten what he wanted. Yurushi felt as though he'd have to apologize to the Hokage for his impatient cousin.

"We're going to Nami no Kuni to protect a bridge builder while he is finishing his bridge," the blond answered while digging through a pile of clothes on the floor. "The guy's kind of a jerk, called me a small fry, but I'll teach him a lesson."

Yurushi palmed his face as his cousin appeared to be deep in thought, likely plotting his revenge. "Yeah," the whisker faced genin said out loud to no one in particular. "That should do the trick."

"Naruto," Yurushi's stern tone caused his cousin's eyes to roll. "You can't get revenge on the client."

"What?!" Naruto protested. "It's not like I'm gonna hurt the guy. I'm just teaching him not to mess with Uzumaki Naruto!"

"Just behave," the redhead relented. Naruto was a good kid for the most part, but no matter what Yurushi said the blond would never fail to get himself into trouble. Sometimes, trouble found him, and other times the blond went looking for it.

"Yeah, yeah," the blue eyed preteen answered flippantly as he finished packing.

Walking toward the window in his room, Naruto stepped a foot on the window sill and turned back to his cousin before shoving off. "Hey Yurushi, would you mind watering my plants while I'm out?" The boy asked. "I dunno how long we'll be gone, but Kakashi-sensei said to pack for two weeks."

"Of course. Oh and Naruto," the redheaded swordsman answered, "do your best out there."

"You bet!" Naruto shouted as he launched out to rejoin his team.

Yurushi watched his cousin traverse the rooftops for a moment. With a sigh, the Uzumaki boy withdrew from the window and closed it. Yurushi hoped that Naruto's first C-ranked mission would be much like his own: uneventful. Sure there was a little bit of action. Stopping a group of thieves from stealing farm animals in the western regions of Hi no Kuni didn't come without its share of combat. However, there wasn't anything beyond the initial encounter, and the rogues weren't very skilled fighters.

Looking back, the mission didn't even really warrant a full squad of genin. It was probably something that a lone chūnin could handle. It was almost as boring as all the D-rank missions that the team had done, but they got to leave the village. That alone made the mission an exciting change of pace. It was a learning experience though. Naruto's mission sounded like a glorified guard duty. '_How much trouble could a bridge builder be in that anyone would want to attack him?_' The redhead wondered as he returned to his room.

Grabbing his sword, Yurushi decided that his break in concentration was a good opportunity to stop his studies and practice his katas, then a trip to the archives to finish off the day's work. Walking up the flight of stairs that led to the roof of the apartment complex, the redhead hoped that his cousin would at least try to stay out of trouble. Making mischief in the village is one thing, but doing so beyond the walls is another story. He quickly realized how fruitless it was to hope for such a thing. '_If he doesn't cause it, then he'll find it._'

Opening the door, Yurushi was greeted by the afternoon sun. The sky was completely cloud free. Off in the horizon, the gate loomed over the village. It was a stalwart protector, offering safety and security for all who enter and imposing an impregnable defense against those who would harm. Right now all it represented was the beginning and ending of a journey. Naruto's journey was similar to his own, but while the path may tread the same ground the destinations could be miles apart. Only time could tell.

The gates swung open as the young swordsman began to practice his routine. As he twisted round, striking at shadows, the clang of the gate doors shutting resounded. His cousin had left for a mission. Like his last one, there was no telling when the mission would be over. That really messed with his schedule. '_I guess I'll find something else to do since Naruto's going to be gone for a while,_' the teen thought as he pivoted on his heel cutting down a phantom assailant. '_Just be careful out there,_' Yurushi wished as he practiced on the rooftop.


	18. Changing of the Guard

**Chapter 18: Changing of the Guard**

"Friends… they cherish one another's hopes. They are kind to one another's dreams." -Henry David Thoreau

* * *

He evened his breathing as the birds sang. Sunrise in the village was always so peaceful, and even more so when spent on a training field. Katana secured at his side, Hayate placed a hand on its wrapped hilt. Slow and methodical; that was the nature of the kata when one was learning. Sitting on his knees, the teacher waited for his student to initiate the exercise. Yurushi made his movement and Hayate followed.

Rising up onto one knee, Hayate drew his blade and seamlessly turned it into a horizontal strike directly in front of him. The move was followed up by bringing the sword overhead and performing a downward slash. Bringing the weapon up so the blade nearly rested on his shoulder as he finally stood, the kenjutsu expert guided the edge directly over his head before making a diagonal slash as though he were shunting a frontal assault. Finally, the blade was sheathed in a single deliberate motion as the jōnin returned to one knee.

"How was that?" Hayate asked while clearing his throat.

"You're still jerky in your motions," Yurushi replied coolly. "The idea is to go slow. That way you can see and understand your movements. Just relax."

"Sorry, I keep trying to rush things. It's been a while since I've been a student," the Sensei answered as he returned to sitting on his knees.

"You learned this quicker than I did," the redhead grinned as he prepared for the next step of the exercise.

This had become a ritual of theirs for a while now. At least once a week Hayate would make a point to meet with his students on an individual basis. He taught the finer points of swordplay to Kenshi all the while secretly preparing the boy to inherit his techniques. With Hanami, the sleepless ninja would develop her growing skill as a sensor. With Yurushi he got a little selfish. He had seen samurai in action during the war and Iaidō was an intriguing style, so he asked his student to teach him a thing or two after a couple sparring sessions.

Twisting around and rising to one knee, the teacher turned student drew his sword and struck at the air that was at his back. This was again followed with a perfectly vertical strike that started overhead. The sword hovered above the shoulder once more before making a diagonal slash similar to the last. Finally, the tired looking ninja stood in a slight crouch before returning his weapon to its scabbard. Now all he needed to do was become proficient enough to add the style to his repertoire.

Standing for a bit, Hayate caught an approving look from the redhead next to him, but no words were said. The child had been moping around after the Yokkaichi mission, weighed down by the guilt of his own conscience, but he had hoped that their chat had helped. Taking a life was something that never really went away, but Yurushi hadn't shown major signs of being distressed by it. He had simply been quiet. Team meetings and training would pass with nary a word being spoken by the young Uzumaki. Hayate decided to use today to test the waters. With the Chūnin Exams approaching rapidly his team needed to be mentally and physically fit before he would register them.

'_They'll be ready this year,_' the proud instructor thought as he returned to his knees.

Bringing his left leg up, Hayate drew the katana as he stood. Once the blade was free he turned to the left and performed a diagonal strike, downing the imaginary assailant that failed to sneak up on him. Resting the tip of the blade on his right knee the weapon crossed perpendicular to the stance of his body. One hand left the hilt to grab the scabbard and the sword quickly returned to its home.

This next one was one of his favorites. It really began to show the efficiency of the form and how no movement was wasted or without meaning. Resting on one knee, Hayate rose with a deep bend in both knees. He secured his weapon firmly in both hands before thrusting the hilt forward while drawing the blade. Once out of the sheath he turned at the waist and stabbed the sword behind him, dispatching another invisible foe. Quickly, he turned back bringing the deadly edge back down on the first opponent with an overhead strike. Cutting the weapon free Hayate paused before sliding the sword back into the scabbard.

Hayate remained standing, waiting to continue the exercise. There were a total of thirteen katas in Iaidō and they had just finished the ones that began from a seated position. Now that they are standing things can get a little faster in pace. He was getting a little antsy and looked to see why Yurushi was just sitting there. The genin was scratching something in a small patch of dirt, and his eyes were honed in on that piece of earth. Giving in, Hayate walked over and squatted down to get a look at what the kid was doing. What he saw seemed to be an impressive piece of fūinjutsu.

"Is this why you've been so quiet lately?" The question was asked, but he had already realized the truth of it. This was the reason the Uzumaki had been so distant lately. He was simply distracted with a bit of a puzzle.

"Huh?" Yurushi snapped his attention to the jōnin. "Sorry, I think I just figured something out. I need to go to the archives and research if this will work. Sorry Sensei, but we'll have to cut this session short."

"Is this really that big of a deal?" Hayate asked to which his student nodded. He was rather impressed that the kid had been creating his own sealing techniques, but now he wanted to know what this particular one did.

"Yeah, I think it'll really help the team," Yurushi replied as he quickly unfurled a sealing scroll and stored his katana away. "It's something I've been working on since Yokkaichi and I want to finish it before we go on another C-rank mission."

"Well, are you going to be done by tomorrow?" Hayate coughed out. Lovely, it was almost time for some more medicine. That stuff tasted so _wonderful_.

"I'm not even done designing it yet," the boy laughed. "I just started a few months ago, so there's still a lot of work to be done before I finish."

"Will it work?" He really didn't even know what it did, but that was fine for now. He wasn't going to pressure the kid to divulge the secrets to techniques that hadn't even been created yet. If Yurushi believed that it would benefit the team then he was certain that he'd get an explanation later. Hayate did, however, want to give him a deadline to finish.

"In theory, but I still need to make sure it can be done," the redhead explained. "Why? When is our next mission?"

"We'll be getting one tomorrow, and I'll be requesting another C-rank," Hayate explained. The tickle in the back of his throat was growing in annoyance, which made him a little grateful that this session would be brief. The residual effects of his injuries in Yokkaichi weren't serious, but they could cause a problem on missions. He needed to find a way to reduce all of this coughing. He resigned himself to making yet another trip to the hospital later this afternoon. "If at all possible, I want you to get finished with it by the time the Chūnin Exams start."

"The Chūnin Exams?" Yurushi inquired. "Are you signing us up?"

"I'm considering it," the Sensei cleared his throat before continuing. "But don't worry about that right now. Go on and try to finish your project."

"Yes Sensei," the teen addressed with a hurried bow and started to run off.

Well, today may not have proved to be very productive to his leisurely study of Iaidō, but Hayate wasn't concerned. His student had just shown how dedicated he was to the team. While the boy had always understood why teamwork was important, now Yurushi was beginning to feel the bonds that teamwork created. Like the roots of a mighty tree, those relationships ran deep in a person's soul. The way things were shaping up this team might just make a good showing at the exams.

* * *

The forest was clear. Frankly, there was no expectation of finding anything suspicious at all. These patrols were almost a complete waste of time. The only reason that they weren't was the simple fact that it got him away from home for a week or two. The Hyūga estate was looked upon as a veritable palace to the rest of the village. To Neji, it was his prison. Even though he was out, the chains of his prison followed him everywhere he went.

Scanning the forest floor Neji saw nothing worth noting among the trees of Konohagakure's southeastern border. The southeastern border patrols held one purpose and one purpose only: to break in the greenhorns. The only span of land that wasn't ocean was connected to a small country with no hidden village. Soon, according to Gai-sensei, there was to be a bridge that connected Hi no Kuni to Nami no Kuni. While it provided a new option for trade, it held no strategic military value to Konoha. That meant that this patrol route would forever be assigned to rookies.

'_I need to become a chūnin,_' the prodigious Hyūga moaned inwardly.

"See anything Neji?" The voice of his female teammate sounded behind him.

"I haven't seen anything all week Tenten," Neji responded indignantly.

"Geez," Tenten feigned insult. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed did we?"

"Tch," Neji hissed but otherwise ignored the jab. It wasn't Tenten's fault. It wasn't that she was pestering him. He was intimately familiar with the dry wit of sarcasm. The real problem was dealing with his Sensei and his other teammate, Lee. There was no possible way that they could always be so intense about everything. From the moment they roused from their slumber to the moment they returned to bed, those two were constantly over the top. It never ceased, and if it ever did, then something serious had happened. When Gai got serious he was a respectable and dangerous shinobi. Unfortunately, those were very rare moments.

"Alright team!" The jōnin in question shouted as he joined the gathered genin. "As you know today is our last day on patrol, so we're going to do something special to celebrate!"

"What will we be doing Sensei?" Gai's miniature duplicate asked as he joined up with the rest of the group. Lee looked hopeful, far too hopeful. The glimmer in Gai-sensei's eye wasn't helping, and made Neji a little worried.

"Normally we run through our patrol route twice a day," Gai-sensei said eyes full of fire, "but today we'll run through it twice before lunch, and two more times before sundown!"

"Yes Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled with joy. "And if I cannot do this I will do two thousand pushups!"

"That's the spirit Lee! Let the flames of your youth burn brightly!" Gai laughed. "Now let's go!"

Gai-sensei dashed away with Lee hot on his heels. Tenten only moaned. "Four laps on the patrol route?"

"Complaining about it won't make the distance any shorter," Neji answered as he deactivated his Byakugan for the moment. He would need to be rather conservative using it today if he was going to last. The distance that he would cover today doubled, and with that came a prolonged use of his birthright.

"But it's almost twelve kilometers one way," the bun haired girl cried.

"Come on Tenten," Neji waved his partner to follow. "The further behind we are the more trouble they'll be."

Taking to the trees Neji began the prolonged march. It was going to be a long day, and the only thing that he could hope for was that night came quickly. Neji had long abandoned the idea that Gai-sensei and Lee would ever settle down or act normally. All that mattered was that he had grown as a shinobi, and that much was certain. Fate had sealed his greatness, but it was a double-edged sword in that his training was advanced by a man so completely insane it boggled the mind.

"Hey Neji," Tenten called out as she followed him through the treetops. "Do you know who is coming to relieve us tomorrow?"

Neji only shook his head. There was no telling who would come to replace them on patrol. They had replaced another squad of genin, and if that meant anything then they would be replaced by another squad of genin. It would be interesting if they had time for a brief spar. Neji grew tired of sparring with Lee. The guy had gotten much better over the past year, but Yurushi was right. Neji knew his teammate's moves inside and out. While the green-clad genin could likely say the same thing about him the disparity of skill was too great. An opportunity to spar with a new opponent would really help him to prepare for the Chūnin Exams. He could see where he truly stood, and he could scope out the competition.

"Hurry up slow pokes!" His Sensei yelled from ahead. "You don't want the fires of your youth to die out by not giving your best effort!"

With a resounding sigh of defeat from himself and the kunoichi of the team, Neji knew once again that he had gotten more than he had bargained for.

* * *

Standing before the Hokage was always a bit nerve racking. Even though this was far from the first time that it had happened, the man was just intimidating. Hanami only prayed that her nerves weren't bleeding through at the moment. It had been over a month since they had come back from their last C-rank mission, and the prospect of taking another just sat wrong with her.

The lavender eyed genin was never appreciative of D-rank missions quite as much as she had been the past few weeks. There was nothing, absolutely nothing, quite like doing a job where someone wasn't trying to kill you or your friends. Hanami would never complain about another D-rank mission ever again. Dog walking, shop cleaning, and cat wrangling were all so much better than stopping cultist killers.

Still, her new mission had been given, and she would do her duty. If Kenshi-kun could muster up the courage to do it, then she could find hers. Yurushi and Kenshi-kun had killed the enemy and were nearly killed in turn, and here they stood. They pressed on. Kenshi-kun didn't seem fazed by the lives he had taken in the slightest. The only thing that had changed about him was that his sleeves of the shirts he wore were pushed down instead of rolled up to his elbows. It was different, but not troubling. Yurushi on the other hand, was a stoic, more so than ever. Others may not have noticed, but she had.

How could she not? Hanami had seen the guy every day for the past year. Normally he was quiet, and his emotions were subtlety displayed. Lately he was detached, almost completely removed from everything they had done. The team practices, missions, and even times that they were just hanging out were all done robotically. Yurushi was just there and nothing more. It was strange. She hoped that whatever was troubling him was something that she could somehow help with, and if not her, then Kenshi-kun, or at least Sensei. Nobody else seemed too worried about it though.

'_Maybe I'm just stressing over nothing,_' Hanami tied to convince herself, but the nagging suspicion remained.

Filing out of the mission assignment office with the rest of her team, Hanami caught her Sensei signal them to meet up down the hall. Side by side with her teammates she heard Kenshi sigh. She turned to see him holding his leaf in the palm of his hand and the look of disappointment was plastered in the same place it had been since the exercise was given to them.

"Man," he groaned. "I really thought I had done something this time! Hey Hanami, how are you doing with your training?"

"Well, um," Hanami blushed slightly at the sudden shift of attention. She definitely didn't want him to feel bad about his seeming lack of progress. "I've done pretty well so far."

Drawing the last leaf that she had worked with from her pocket, the girl held it up as evidence. Kenshi looked shocked as she held the piece of foliage that had a small hole burned into it. Katon chakra was pretty easy for a few reasons. The main one was that her dad was great at it, and he taught her exactly what to do. Another reason was that there was more than one approach to get what she wanted. To pull it off she could either cause her chakra to rub together at high speeds to generate the heat to start a fire, or she could strike it against itself like pieces of flint or rocks making sparks.

"This is so not fair," her secret crush blurted. "Look at this Yurushi! At this rate Hanami's gonna be done by the time the exams roll around."

A raised eyebrow was the only response, not that Kenshi was waiting for one, but Hanami noticed the movement. He was impressed with her progress. The redhead Uzumaki was quite vocal about her achievements thus far. His support had often been a source from which she found her confidence. The guy was good, really good, at most of the shinobi arts. His accolades were never superficial or exaggerated. They may not sound as pretty as his poems did, but they were honest. Even this one, silent as it was, spoke volumes.

"So," Hayate-sensei addressed as he joined the group, "you all know the mission. Go home, pack for two weeks and meet me at the gates in one hour. I know that we don't have to be there for another day, but it's early still and I think we should use all of the daylight we have left. You never know what is going on out there, and it's best to get to your destination as soon as possible."

"Yes Sensei," the trio answered as they scattered to follow their orders.

'_Two weeks on patrol duty,_' Hanami thought as she rushed home. '_I hope this doesn't turn out as badly as our last C-rank mission._'

* * *

It was an empty quiet. Unsettling. Every nerve, neuron, synapse, and thought that Yurushi possessed was burning. All of them screamed in warning. Team Thirteen had been sitting in the open, right in the middle of a clearing that was to be the designated place to meet with the outgoing patrol group. Three hours had passed and there had been no sign of them.

The group consensus had been to wait and see if they would show. They were considerably early and it was likely that the other team hadn't finished packing up their last camp. An hour after that Hayate-sensei sent out a clone to scout out the area. Two hours after that the team began to prepare counter ambush measures. Now they were waiting for the inevitable attack and the proverbial calm before the storm was weathering the redhead down.

The genin looked at his teammates, and they seemed to be handling things well. Kenshi was sharpening his favored weapon, acting as though there was nothing at all out of the ordinary. Hanami appeared to be studying a bloom that had sprung up on the forest floor. What the girl was really doing was using her sensory techniques to anticipate when others were approaching. Sensei was meditating, and in all actuality he was also trying to sense the arrival of any potential threat.

"Four people," Hanami murmured, "Sixty three meters out, and approaching slowly from north northwest."

"Excellent work Hanami," Hayate praised as he coughed gently. "Your range has increased more than I had anticipated. I'll have to get you to train with Yūgao. I'm not as advanced on the art to effectively teach you much more."

Silence returned, but Yurushi's anxiety fled. Simply knowing that someone, be they friend or foe, was on their way helped to put all of the uneasy feelings to rest. Waiting around to get attacked was not a fun way of doing business. This Uzumaki had enough of letting people getting the jump on him and his team. The last mission showed that it doesn't take much for a situation to get out of hand.

This was why implementing his training in Iaidō into every facet of life was so important. The martial aspects required him to read the movements of his opponents so that the first strike would land true and end the fight. Predicting with accuracy what another person would do was what would make or break a samurai. This was especially true when squaring off against a ninja. Seeing through lies and deception was just another aspect of perception for any practitioner of Iaidō. Feeling the ebb and flow of a fight as it was happening was easy enough, but knowing just how and when it would start was difficult. '_The sooner I get that down, the better off all of us will be,_' Yurushi reasoned.

There were several aspects of his original Sensei's training regimen that he had been neglecting to follow. Most notably was his lack of practice in the Samurai Sabre Technique. Yurushi had long mastered utilizing chakra flow techniques to strengthen his blade, but he had not continued the training to utilize the signature _jutsu_ of the samurai. '_I really need to finish learning that move. I'd finally have a ranged attack,_' Yurushi vowed to himself to master the ability before the Chūnin Exams.

A twig snapped in the forest returning Yurushi's attention to his surroundings. A log fell to the earth at Yurushi's feet. It was impaled with several kunai and shuriken. Clearly, the log had been successfully used to perform a Kawarimi no Jutsu. Whoever they were likely meant no harm. If they had, then they wouldn't have announced their presence so recklessly.

"Were all of those traps really necessary?" A familiar voice asked with a perturbed tone. Neji appeared before the redhead with a scowl on his face.

"I guess not," Yurushi admitted with a wry grin. "Especially since you guys got through all of them without a single scratch."

"Hn," Neji grunted in frustration much to the young Uzumaki's amusement.

"That was a most youthful exercise! Hayate-san, have your genin set up more traps and my team can race through the obstacles to see who gets the fastest time!" The strange looking green clad Sensei of Neji yelled out with mirth. Too much mirth really.

"Well, um, I, uh," Hayate-sensei stuttered. "That seems to be a bit unnecessary."

"Nonsense!" The jōnin called out exuberantly. "It will be an excellent training exercise for my team, and will fan the flames of their youth!"

"I would really rather not," Hayate-sensei coughed. "Your team looks rather tired Gai-san, and mine still needs to set up camp before we go on patrol for the evening."

"Yes of course!" Gai cried out. Yurushi blanched. Was this guy serious? The redhead remembered him from the team assignment day, but he thought that it was just a situational thing. '_Is he always like this?_'

"Yeah," a voice whispered in his ear. Yurushi turned to see Tenten leaning in with a hand covering her mouth. "He is _always_ like this, and it's exhausting."

The bun haired girl certainly did appear to be bushed. She looked like she was ready to fall over at any minute. Her head turned and her entire demeanor changed. Full of energy, Tenten ran over to meet up with Hanami. Yurushi walked over toward Neji. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and even longer still since their last spar. If Hayate-sensei was willing, it would be a good time to test himself against the growth of his friend.

Neji stood near his Sensei as the two jōnin engaged in light conversation. Yurushi nodded at his old friend. "Sorry about the traps," the Uzumaki offered. "We couldn't find any sign of your patrol, so we got a little suspicious."

"It's understandable," Neji answered stoically. "They weren't too difficult to evade, I simply got careless toward the end."

"I can't have you getting careless," Yurushi teased flippantly. "Who else could I find on my own level to spar with?"

"You must have forgotten the order of things in my absence," Neji answered with a heated glare. It felt good to see that fight in his eyes. Their rivalry had helped Yurushi grow at the Academy, and brought the kind of daily challenge that he needed to adjust to life in Konoha.

"Care to test your luck?" Yurushi dared.

"I would be most interested in taking up that challenge Yurushi-san!" A green clad genin replied with zeal. The guy looked familiar to Yurushi, definitely a copy of his Sensei, but that wasn't where the familiarity came from. It was something else, and the redhead couldn't put a finger on it. It was starting to bother him.

"You wouldn't stand a chance Lee," Neji replied bluntly.

'_Lee! That's Lee? I can hardly recognize him!_' Yurushi thought to himself as his jaw dropped mentally.

"Why do you think I could not defeat Yurushi-san?" Lee objected. "He never could beat you in the Academy, and I have yet to beat you since we became genin. We are on the same level in that respect."

"That's the spirit Lee!" Gai proclaimed loudly. "A spar would be an excellent test of your youthfulness. But, I'm sure that Neji is most eager to test himself against the youthful Uzumaki so he should get that fight."

"AH!" Lee shouted. "I am sorry Sensei!"

"That is quite alright Lee," Gai smirked before he glowered at his student, "but you forgot one thing."

"What did I forget Gai-sensei?" The martial artist asked nervously.

"You should be apologizing to Neji for trying to step in on his match against his eternal rival!" The strange Jōnin Sensei exclaimed.

"OH NO!" Lee cried out in shock before profusely giving his apologies and vowing intense training exercises as penance to his teammate.

Yurushi tried his best to ignore the outbursts quite simple because he wasn't sure how to react to it. Neji wasn't much help either, only shaking his head with disapproval. Yurushi sighed. He couldn't imagine dealing with this every day. "So Neji, are you feeling up to it?"

"No," Neji answered flatly. "I just finished running nearly fifty kilometers and I was using my Byakugan for most of that distance. Even you would be able to defeat me in my condition."

Yurushi shrugged. More surprises to be discovered later on as far as he was concerned. Neji's skills at this point were sure to be only vague shadows of what they were in the past. The young Uzumaki was well aware of the Byakugan and Jūken, and his rival's rumored capability with them. It only stood to reason that his skills had grown exponentially since graduation. "I guess I'll have to wait for the Chūnin Exams to beat you then. I was hoping to spare you public embarrassment though," the teen taunted.

"Well if Neji and Yurushi aren't in the mood, and Lee's cool with it," Kenshi said as he stepped up to his green clad comrade, "I'll go a couple rounds with you."

"YES!" Lee shouted with glee. "That would be most enjoyable Kenshi-san!"

"Seriously though," Kenshi interrupted the _most youthful_ celebration, "drop the formality."

"If you insist Kenshi-san, but I would be loath to be rude to a fellow shinobi such as yourself," Lee answered calmly as he assumed a ready taijutsu stance. Yurushi backed away. Clearly they were going to throw down right then and there. No big deal, but the swordsman would prefer to watch from a safe and prudent distance. The Uzumaki took a seat nearby the two kunoichi as they talked about this and that. Neji elected to stand next to him.

"Very well Lee," Gai stood between the opponents. "This will be a simple spar. Kenshi here can use whatever techniques he knows and Lee you may use anything I have not placed a limitation on."

"Yes Gai-sensei," Lee confirmed.

"You, um, uh," Kenshi fumbled for words. "Aren't you going to forbid me from using my sword?"

"No I'm not," Gai answered with thumbs up and a hearty grin. "You can use it to your heart's content. I trust that my pupil has the skill needed to dodge and block without getting seriously harmed."

As the fight began, Yurushi looked at his old friend. Neji had decided to activate the power of his clan in order to watch. The redhead wanted to ask how he was doing, but idle chat never went over well with Neji. Conversation was purposeful. Words simply weren't wasted on foolish things. Or that's what the Hyūga would probably say if Yurushi tried to strike up a random conversation.

"He's pretty quick on his feet," Tenten commented with a chipper tone.

"Yeah," Hanami agreed. "He's way faster than when we were in the Academy."

"Tenten was talking about Kenshi," Neji corrected.

"Mmhmm," the bun haired girl nodded. "Muramasa is keeping up with Lee really well."

He was at that. Yurushi watched, semi-flabbergasted. Lee was fast. Wicked fast. The only equivalent to the bowl cut genin's current speed that Yurushi could think of was himself, that is, if he dropped a level of his training seal. That wasn't entirely equivalent though. The kind of growth that he had achieved in regards to speed were the result of years of training. Whatever kind of training Lee had undergone to become the blur of movement that he now was had to be incredibly difficult.

Results were results though. Needless to say, the battle was fast paced. Lee was throwing every ounce of skill into his attack. Kicks were aimed toward Kenshi's head, sides, legs, and stomach with startling frequency. Punches were leveled, testing the brown haired swordsman's guard. Lee felt out the weak spots in Kenshi's defense and then made other attacks to shift Kenshi's attention away from the perceived weakness.

Lee threw a fist across his body, and Kenshi shifted his guard to the left in hopes of deflecting the strike. With the blink of an eye Lee quickly spun around on his heel, elbowing his opponent in the back of the head. The young swordsman stumbled forward a brief moment before having a powerful kick planted in the middle of his back. Yurushi winced in sympathy of his teammate's pain. Kenshi was slow to get up and took his time to shake off the cobwebs, but once he made it back to his feet he was wearing a satisfied grin. The combatants assumed their respective stances, exchanged a quick nod showing readiness, and the young blacksmith darted to meet his opponent.

Yurushi kept his eyes fixed on the fight for now. The girls were chatting, but Kenshi and Lee were far too entertaining. Team Thirteen's member was on the offensive now. The strikes were tentative, but effective in reminding Lee that he held the advantage of range. Kenshi had been favoring a defensive style of sword play for about a year. The system relied heavily on blocks, parries, shunts, and counters to catch the opponent off guard. The style was born largely from spars that Yurushi had with his friend. Speed was not an advantage Kenshi held, so he was forced to react defensively. Therefore, rather than try to build up his natural speed, Sensei devised a way to utilize and build upon Kenshi's reaction time.

The style would have worked well against Lee given that the taijutsu practitioner was similarly speedy, but something seemed to be off. Blocking edge to edge was a cardinal sin during their spars, but Kenshi wasn't in a kenjutsu duel. He wouldn't have to worry about keeping the blade in good condition during this fight. Using the edge of the blade as an offensive shield should have deterred reckless attacks. Even experienced hand to hand combatants would be cautious about pressing an advantage if their strikes were blocked with the edge of a sword.

'_Lee must not be afraid of getting cut by an opponent's weapon,_' Yurushi reasoned while trying to analyze the fight. _'Even if he isn't, Lee couldn't be fast enough to avoid getting cut all of the time._'

"His form is off," Neji remarked.

"I was thinking the same thing about Kenshi," Yurushi commented as he noticed the position of Kenshi's ninjatō.

"Lee is leaving himself off balance when he makes a high kick," Neji sighed. "He shouldn't be making these rookie mistakes anymore."

"Aww," Tenten teased. "Neji-kun is worried about his best friend."

"That's not the case," Neji rebuked looking a little flush. "It makes us look bad when Lee screws up."

Yurushi tried to hold in his laughter, but wasn't succeeding in that venture. The Hyūga was none too pleased with his teasing, but made no effort to try and defend himself any further from his teammate's abuse. The chorus of laughter died down as eyes began to wander back to the fight. Kenshi was slashing at Lee, but nothing struck home. Still, it was an offensive chain that the sword maker had been waiting for. Lee was simply too skilled to fall victim to any significant attack.

"Where did Kenshi-kun mess up with his form?" Hanami asked. Her face grew bright red after Tenten elbowed her side and giggled. Yurushi could only roll his eyes. '_Girls and their games,_' the redhead thought. '_If she likes him so much she needs to tell him already._'

"Kenshi isn't using his kenjutsu style to its fullest," the Uzumaki answered. "Watch how he blocks, and even his attacks. You'll see that he's doing all of it without using the edge of his sword."

"I'm sure he's just worried about hurting Lee," Tenten answered.

"It does a disservice to them both," Neji responded. "Kenshi is holding back while Lee is not learning to be more mindful of the nuances of his opponent's style."

The redhead nodded in agreement as he withdrew a scroll and writing utensils. He had seen enough of the fight to know where Kenshi could improve, and Neji was critical enough for the both of them. Taking the brush he dipped it in ink and began writing. There wasn't anything to the poem that had sprung up in his head. It was only the first line, but he hoped that something else would come to him once he finished writing it down.

_Flurries of leaves fall_

That didn't work too well.

"You are most youthful Kenshi-san," Lee said as he stood some distance away from his opponent. The conversation caused the redhead to glance up from his temporary writer's block. The distance the sparring partners created obviously meant that someone had gotten a decent hit in, and it led to a moment for a chat.

"Still usin' all that formality and proper grammar?" The young blacksmith moaned. "Can't you just talk normally?"

"I do not understand what it is that you are saying," Lee looked confused.

"See!" Kenshi pointed with aggravation in his voice. "Right there! You could have used like, four contractions, but you didn't! Normal people would use contractions!"

"Contractions are for those too lazy to say two separate words," Lee defended as he assumed a ready position. "Besides, it was only three contractions that I refused to use."

"Whatever," the brown haired genin growled. "Just stop with all the formal junk."

"I will do so Kenshi-san," the dead last of their class responded, "but only if you stop holding back."

"Alright," Kenshi turned his ninjatō around in his hand so the sharpened steel was now facing his sparring partner. Yurushi shook his head. His teammate had been holding back on purpose. They all knew Lee's reputation from the Academy, but Kenshi shouldn't have underestimated his opponent. That was the lesson that they should have already learned in Yokkaichi. "But you asked for it."

"This is the springtime of our youth!" Lee declared as he rushed toward his friendly foe. "Let us enjoy it!"

Lee's attack, which was loudly named the Konoha Senpū, sailed high as Kenshi ducked beneath the whirling leg. A quick counter was delivered before the green clad ninja landed, but Lee knocked away the swordsman's wrist so the blade stabbed only air. The genin with the bowl haircut did not relent in his attack. Immediately he turned and strung together an impressive taijutsu display. Punches and kicks seemed to warp and twist the wind around Kenshi so his hair was always shifting in the wind. To his credit not a single attack landed.

The Muramasa had successfully dodged or caused an attack to be recalled. With the edge of the sword was being used for defense, Lee was much more cautious of the weapon this time. The bout was much more entertaining now that the proverbial gloves were off, but Yurushi was only half focused. Lee's caution would play against his incredible swiftness, and should allow Kenshi more opportunities to attack. Kenshi's kenjutsu style may be defensive in form, but neutralizing a speed advantage was a subtle offense. The redhead couldn't quite piece together a second line to his haiku, and when he glanced up at the spar he noticed frustration on Lee's face.

Flipping back and away from his foe, Lee drew a pair of kunai from his pouch. Wasting no more time, the green-clad genin darted back into the fray. In place of unarmed strikes, Lee began to use the knife in a similar way to his punches from moments ago. Testing Kenshi's defenses, metal struck against metal. The kenjutsu practitioner had to adjust the way he blocked the kunai. Dulling, chipping, or weakening a blade was unacceptable to the Muramasa. '_I need to teach Kenshi how to use his chakra to strengthen the metal so he doesn't have to sweat that sort of thing too much,_' the redhead reminded himself. '_When he masters Doton chakra he might never have to worry about breaking a sword again._'

"Fool," Neji scolded. "Just because he has a weapon now he thinks that he can use the same approach. You've already played that hand, and your opponent adjusted to it. You have to adapt and adjust in order to win."

"Lee doesn't use weapons much does he?" Yurushi asked.

"Lee is," the Hyūga paused, "adequate with kunai and shuriken, but he is far from Tenten's level of proficiency."

"He's certainly gotten a lot better than when we were in the Academy," Hanami pointed out. Tenten hummed in agreement, but Neji remained silent. Neji would never admit it, but Yurushi had called it a long time ago. The redhead knew that with the right Sensei, a kid with Lee's kind of dedication could improve. '_Lee's growth is off the charts though,_' the teen thought.

"Nevertheless, his fate has not changed," the destined Hyūga stated matter-of-factly.

Yurushi felt his aggravation rise. Neji was a good friend, but the guy's outlook on life frustrated him to no end. He tried to stay calm, and focus on his poem. It was of no use to continue this debate here and now. Neji was a proud Hyūga, set in his ways, and sure of himself. In other words, the guy was a stubborn ass. It would take something drastic to change his point of view. While Yurushi didn't want his partner to lose, he wouldn't mind in the least if Lee won, if for nothing else but to prove Neji wrong. The second line finally revealed itself.

_Rivalry sings in the breeze_

"Hey," Tenten interjected curiously as the redhead made the last stroke of his brush. "What are you doing?"

Yurushi looked up to find that she was talking to him. "Oh, he's just writing a poem," Hanami answered for him. "He does that a lot."

"Really?" The sharp-shooter questioned. "I remember he was writing something the day we first met, but I didn't see you do it that much afterward."

"He's really good," Hanami praised casually. "You should read some of them sometime."

It was a little awkward having someone else answering for him. The Uzumaki was fully prepared to handle Tenten's inquiries, not that he expected much interest beyond the answer of her question. The bun-haired girl never gave too much interest to his poetry in the past. Despite her remarks, he distinctly remembered speaking to the young sniper about his artistic habit on several occasions. Clearly, there was a lack true of interest that had developed. Poetry isn't for everyone.

"Hey," Tenten was hovering behind him, eyes scanning the scroll in amazement, "you _are_ really good."

Or, perhaps the issue was simply getting the right review. Tenten was interested now because Hanami said it was worth the read? Yurushi shrugged his shoulders; he certainly wasn't going to understand the mindset and thought process of either of those girls anytime soon. Why worry about it now?

"Here I come!" Lee bellowed as he ran to meet Kenshi. The member of Team Thirteen drove his sword into the ground and cycled through hand seals. The distance was nearly closed, but not soon enough. Kenshi finished molding chakra and slammed his foot against the ground. The earth buckled slightly and cracked open in a path that collided with Lee's, and the unsteady footing caused the boy to stumble. The taijutsu practitioner caught himself quickly and jumped away from Kenshi's new assault.

'_He's mastered nature transformation enough to utilize a Doton Jutsu effectively,_' Yurushi noted. There was a large gap between simply using a technique and mastering the fundamentals behind it, but this was a sure sign of growth. Kenshi had more progress than he had achieved as of yet.

It wasn't much, as ninjutsu goes. Honestly, it was only some cracks in the dirt, but it was something, and effective enough. At the next team meeting, they would have to level with each other the full extent of their skills. Having the intimate details would probably be a deciding factor for their advancement through the Chūnin Exams.

Kenshi didn't let the distance last. He charged at Lee full speed, and was likely trying to end the fight with his next attack, but as he drew near Lee twisted his body. Sweeping the legs from underneath the swordsman, Lee caused his opponent to fall to the ground. Rising quickly, Kenshi brought his weapon to bear against his opponent. Ninjatō and kunai clashed, but Lee moved to set the second kunai to rest against Kenshi's neck. The swordsman took his offhand from the hilt of his sword seemingly to try and divert the attack. Yurushi couldn't quite see what his teammate was trying to accomplish, but it didn't matter. The move was too late. This fight was over.

"Excellent work," Gai proclaimed. "A draw is a great way for two youthful comrades to spark the fires of friendship and rivalry. This is much like my matches with my own eternal rival!"

'_A draw?_' Yurushi wondered. He didn't see anything that showed Kenshi could have pushed the fight to a draw.

"Yes, it was a most youthful match Kenshi," Lee commented as both combatants lowered their weapons. As their arms fell it revealed that Kenshi had been holding a kunai in his offhand. The redhead was puzzled. Kenshi never moved to draw anything from his weapons holster, and certainly didn't have time to. There was more to this story than what had been revealed.

"Yeah, you're pretty good," Kenshi replied as he lowered his arm and sheathed his sword.

"I look forward to a rematch in the near future," the genin with abnormally thick eyebrows said as he offered the seal of reconciliation to his opponent.

"Yeah, same here," the kenjutsu practitioner answered as he completed the post-spar ritual.

As the combatants walked to rejoin their respective teammates, Yurushi looked expectantly at Neji. Silence was his answer for a few moments, but no words needed to be exchanged yet. The Hyūga prodigy knew what unspoken statement was being made. It was a simple acknowledgement that the outcome was not entirely what Neji had expected. Lee's fate was supposed to be one of failure. A tie against a worthy opponent was not failure. The fates had been defied.

"It changes nothing," Yurushi's friend finally answered.

"Oh really," the redhead responded with disbelief.

"Lee is destined for failure, and a tie with Kenshi only reveals that he and Lee share the same fate," Neji turned to leave.

Yurushi couldn't take it, but remained calm, or as calm as he could possibly be at the moment. That guy simply wouldn't see what was right in front of him. Lee had improved. There was no other explanation. The kid from the Academy who had no ninjutsu, genjutsu, and shoddy taijutsu would have stood no chance against Kenshi. The young swordsmith had also made significant strides in his growth. There was no evidence from that fight that revealed that either of the two was doomed to any amount of professional collapse.

On the contrary, his teammate had proven himself to be a talented shinobi. If this spar was anything to go by, then Lee had more than proven himself capable of whatever he set his mind to. Both were on the path toward greatness. As far as Yurushi could see, nothing would prevent their advancement on that journey. Finally, the last line.

_Destinies collide_

Setting the brush back to the page, the Uzumaki finished off his haiku. Blowing on the parchment, the still wet ink began to dry. It wasn't a poem drawn from his typical inspirations, but it was decent. The growth, bloom, and death of flowers proved more than enough stimulation for what he wrote lately. Simply watching the process made it obvious why Hanami enjoyed partaking in her namesake. Sakura trees blossoming, and seeing the rain of pink velvet fall from the trees never ceased to amaze. It was the precious beauty of fleeting life on vibrant display.

"Writing another one?" Kenshi huffed in question as Yurushi began to pack away his things. "You've been on a tear lately. Haven't you filled that scroll up yet?"

"Not yet," Yurushi chuckled. "Haiku are short, so I can write a bunch of them without taking up too much space.

"Well that was fun," the teen exclaimed blissfully ignorant of Tenten's giggles and Hanami's rising embarrassment. It annoyed Yurushi slightly. The girl was beautiful, and his best friend was clueless. Kenshi simply didn't see her as a beautiful young woman, just as a friend. He didn't notice her silent affections, only her open camaraderie. Hanami was too nervous to speak and Kenshi was too dense to discern. Or he wasn't interested, but that didn't seem to be the case. Eventually, something had to give. "I kinda wanted to see you and Neji go at it though."

"I wonder," Yurushi said releasing his annoyance to die in his subconscious. There was something more pressing on his mind. "How did you manage a draw with Lee? I never saw you reach for a kunai."

"Oh that?" Kenshi pulled his right sleeve down which revealed an interesting looking contraption with a kunai anchored to it. "It's a spring loaded kunai holster. Picked this thing up a few weeks after we got back from Yu no Kuni. I didn't want to be caught totally unarmed again."

"Whoa!" Tenten scrutinized the device with total fascination. "This thing is pretty sweet. That does explain that slick move you pulled to get one on Lee. I thought he had you."

"That was really clever Kenshi-kun," Hanami chirped.

Well that certainly did explain things. It also doubled down on Yurushi's desire to speak very openly and candidly with his teammates about their abilities. Hidden skills were nice, but the way Sensei talked about the Chūnin Exams, then teamwork was going to play a factor. If that was to be the case, then it would be necessary for Team Thirteen to know each other better than they knew themselves.

Neji nodded at him, and Yurushi returned the gesture and watched as the Hyūga joined up with his Sensei and other teammates. Goodbyes were exchanged and Team Gai left with an awful ruckus. He could only shrug off the antics of the green clad duo. Yurushi was glad that he didn't have to deal with the pair on a daily basis. Still, it was good seeing their classmates again.

So many of his graduating class hadn't become genin that year, and at least one of the nine that did become a full-fledged shinobi had become a chūnin. The little circle of friendship they had was getting smaller, but there was always room for more. Perhaps Naruto and his classmates would get along with their seniors. '_Naruto would make friends with just about anyone. All he has to do is share some sort of adventure and a conversation and he has a new friend for life,_' Yurushi reminisced about how he had won over the respect of Team Thirteen.

Throwing his pack over his shoulder, the Uzumaki stood to leave. There was much left to do before the day was over. Following after their Sensei, Yurushi and his friends marched off to fulfill their duty as proud shinobi of Konohagakure. It was duty that brought them together, but friendship that had kept them close.


	19. Welcoming Party

**Chapter 19: Welcoming Party**

"It may be the part of a friend to rebuke a friend's folly." - J.R.R. Tolkien

* * *

This was it. It had to be. There was no other way. The answers were just too clear now, and everything had fallen into place. Standing over his work, Yurushi analyzed the elaborate collection of kanji, sealing arrays, and formulaic arrangements. The scroll was nearly covered in ink. It should work. It has to work. There was no other way that it could go. All of the other options had been tried. This just had to be it. It had to be.

Still, it was going to be a while before he could test it out. If only Jiraiya-sensei were here. The redhead had no doubt that the man could simply look at the sealing array and let him know if it would work or was safe to use. The issue was how to test it. Simply applying untested fūinjutsu on its intended target and hoping for the best was usually a quick way to get someone killed. A neutral medium was needed to mitigate the lack of a true test subject. The question was what exactly could do that very thing. He'd have to consult the precious few of his mother's scrolls that he had brought along.

The screech of a hawk flying overhead drew away his attention. The bird swooped down at great speed and gracefully came to rest on Hayate-sensei's arm. Kenshi stood up from his resting place in amazement. Yurushi, silent as he was about it, was astonished as well. Their Sensei simply fiddled with something strapped to the bird's talons as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"What was that?" Kenshi blurted unable to restrain his curiosity any further.

"What?" Hayate-sensei seemed confused for a brief moment. "Oh, this guy?"

Yurushi and his friend nodded wordlessly, which brought a smirk to their Sensei's face. A collection of coughs left the man's lips which made the raptor flap wildly to maintain its balance atop his fleshly perch. The coolness of that animal just kept going up and up, and the boys were transfixed.

"This is a messenger hawk," the tired looking man began to explain. "We use them to deliver messages and orders from Konoha to shinobi in the field."

So many questions were opened up in Yurushi's mind. How did they catch the hawks? How did they teach them to find Konoha shinobi? How could the birds tell the difference between a ninja from the village and one from a different hidden village? What methods did they use to tell the hawks where the message was to be sent? Would one of the hawks be able to defend itself if it came under attack? If not, then how could the message it carried remain secure? There were so many questions that the redhead wanted to ask, but let slip through his curiosity unchallenged for now.

"Well," Hayate-sensei coughed which startled the small raptor once more. "I've got some bad news. The team that was going to replace us had someone get injured on a previous mission. It'll be another week or two before a replacement team becomes available."

"Sweet!" Kenshi exclaimed.

"Really?" The jōnin balked. "This excites you?"

"Yeah," the brown haired boy proclaimed with a nod. "This is sorta like going out with my brother when they leave to gather materials or complete an out of town job. We hike through the woods, camp out, and take time to train. These patrol assignments are kinda nice."

"Not all of border patrols are so nice," Hayate-sensei pointed out. "When Hanami gets back we'll need to head out. We have some ground to cover today."

The Uzumaki packed his things away. His seal would have to wait for now. It sounded like he would have plenty of time for working on it later. A whole two week's worth of extra time in fact. '_Kenshi is right though,_' the redhead thought. Hanami could be heard working her way through the underbrush and he rushed putting the rest of his things away. '_These patrols aren't too bad._'

* * *

"Come on you guys!" The all too annoying voice called out at a distance. "Hurry up slow pokes! What's takin' ya so long?"

A grumbling could be heard from the other members of the team. Hatake Kakashi was trying to enjoy the relaxed pace. The book, as old as it was, was getting to the good part. Daisuke was posing as the Daimyo of a foreign country. The Peace Summit had already gone the way Daisuke needed it to go, but the wildly acclaimed _Ero-nin_ had a job still to do. The Daimyo's wife was rather unsatisfied with the lack of passion in the bedroom, and it fell upon Daisuke to rectify the problem. Why? Simple, Jiraiya knew how to spin yarn.

It certainly wasn't because Daisuke was a dynamic and loveable character. That guy was a cardboard cutout. There was no emotion, no soul. Daisuke was a placeholder that Jiraiya used for coded messages. Interestingly enough, those coded messages were infinitely more enjoyable than the Daisuke was. Sadly, the way that Naruto was carrying on there was no way to enjoy any bit of the story. That kid needed to chill. His cousin was laid back enough. Why couldn't that blond ball of energy just follow his elder's lead?

"Can I kill him _now_ Sensei?" An utterly, sweet, demure, childishly feminine sounding voice asked.

"Now, now Sakura," the monocular ninja chided teasingly, "what did I tell you last time?"

"After the mission is done," the pink haired girl grumbled.

"Mmmhm," Kakashi hummed in affirmation and tried to return to his book.

The open road along the southern coastlines of Hi no Kuni was a peaceful place. The breeze still tasted of salt water from the rolling waves. A gentle wind swept over him, as it passed over the dunes to their backs. A smattering of wild flowers lined the wayside as the sand beneath his feet began to give way to the clays and polder soils. '_Rin would have loved it here,_' the man mused as he walked along side two of his cute little genin.

"Stop running off Naruto!" Sakura commanded.

"Just let him go Sakura," Sasuke replied dryly.

"But, um, Sasuke-kun," Sakura stumbled, clearly unprepared for the raven haired teen's attention. "What if something happens?"

"Then we won't have to listen to him for a few hours," Sasuke answered with a wishfully grim look on his face. Kakashi was about to gently rebuke the boy for hoping for such things. "He can handle himself."

"But didn't you have to save him from Haku?" The girl asked sounding confused by her love interest's sudden approval of Naruto's skills. Kakashi was equally intrigued by the boy's reasoning as well, but remained silent and appeared to be too engrossed in his reading to know what was going on.

"That's because he's an idiot," Sasuke clarified. "We could have defeated Haku without any problems if he hadn't rushed into the jutsu like a moron."

"Oh," Sakura appeared thoughtful, "so he wasn't all that bad in a pinch?"

"Yeah, for a dumb ass he's not bad in a fight," Sasuke mumbled. Well, that was enlightening. Both of his _elite_ genin were beginning to have an ever so slight change of heart about what their blond colleague was capable of. Sasuke's assessment, while crass, was spot on. Naruto was good in a fight, but the kid would be utterly dangerous if he could find a way to put the space between his ears to work.

The mission, all in all, was a great experience for Team Seven. Naruto and Sasuke built a rivalry during the training exercise that Kakashi had run them through. All of them were able to put the team training to good use. Their execution of the manji formation was flawless, and the ability to work as a single unit and solve problems as a team had grown by leaps and bounds. Frankly, if it hadn't been for that teamwork, then Momochi Zabuza would have drowned him in that Suirō no Jutsu of his.

The long streak of pink hair picked up in a passing breeze, causing the girl to fidget about trying to set it right. '_I need to find a way to help her develop her skills,_' the silver haired jōnin added this to his mental to do list. The girl had unbelievable chakra control. The rest of her skills were rudimentary compared to that of her teammates. She didn't have the physical build for his style of taijutsu, but she was learning the art well enough. Her trap laying and tracking skills were better than basic, which helped for now, but she would need to be far more creative soon. Perhaps it was time to show her the wisdom of a multilayered trap.

Her flawless chakra control, while unheard of for a genin, wasn't even her most valuable asset. Her intellect was what set her apart from the rest of the team. Sasuke may have been called the genius of his class, but that was because he was a natural when it came to all things ninja. Sakura was a legitimate genius. Her powers of perception were keen, and the cycloptic ninja had begun to think the girl had an eidetic memory. '_Perfect recall,_' Kakashi pondered, '_combine that with her chakra control and give her any amount of creativity, then the girl could become a master of genjutsu that would put Kurenai to shame._'

As the lollygaggers of Team Seven began their trek up a small hill to catch up with the rascal blazing the trail ahead, Kakashi lamented to himself. There wasn't a thing that he could do to help Sakura. She didn't have the gift for long standing taijutsu contests without assistance, and she would be years away from the chakra reserves necessary for any practical level of ninjutsu training. All he could do was to teach her the basics of genjutsu and push her in that general direction until other avenues opened up to her. While he was no slouch at the illusory arts, most of what he could do required the use of his transplanted dōjutsu.

'_What a waste,_' he moaned inwardly. '_Such promise, such potential, and there's hardly a thing I can do to help her. The best I can do is get her promoted to chūnin and then recommend her for the Iryō Butai. If she doesn't like genjutsu, then iryō ninjutsu would be the next best option for her._'

"Come on guys!" Naruto yelled off in the distance. The boy was jumping up and down with utter excitement. "Come on let's go!"

Scaling the hill gave a great view of the ocean behind them and showed the road ahead. Trees were becoming ever frequent as the forests of Hi no Kuni began to dominate the landscape. Ancient histories told of a time where the land of the nation was full of vast plains. Rolling fields where the winds swept across the grass making them flow as mighty rivers. The Shodai Hokage changed all of that. To hide his fledgling village, the fabled ninja used his vast power to surround the growing town in a dense wood. The trees slow march invaded the plains until most of the nation was hidden beneath the canopy of broad leaves.

"Naruto," Kakashi allowed himself a more serious tone. "Don't go wandering off for a while."

"Um, sure," the blond answered with a puzzled expression. His demeanor changed with a shrug and he saluted. "Roger that Kakashi-sensei!"

As the squad continued on Naruto marched heartily with Sakura and Sasuke just behind flanking either side. Kakashi took the rearguard as he continued to read. Daisuke was deeply _rooted _into his _position_ and the daimyō's wife seemed to be enjoying every bit. '_Jiraiya you dog! You wouldn't!_' Kakashi's agape mouth went unseen. His disbelief was born by the suspense. Someone had just walked in on the false couple in the middle of their rather heated evening. '_You did!_' Kakashi nearly gasped as the young and beautiful handmaiden was revealed in the doorway.

Kakashi giggled to himself. It was difficult to not be surprised at a book he'd read already, but it had been a while since he last picked this one up. Jiraiya was really good at what he did. Daisuke's character may not be the greatest, but he winds up getting into a big hot mess by the end of the book. One eye scanned across the pages and the handmaiden stood shocked as the daimyō's wife practically commanded that she should join them. Oh yes, Jiraiya knew exactly what he was doing.

A snap caught his attention as the only visible part of Kakashi's face looked for the source of the small noise. His cute little genin didn't seem to register anything, a lesson for another day to be sure, but the jōnin's senses picked up almost everything. Even when not focused, he was honed in and watching out for anything out of the ordinary. There was no need for alarm, not yet. Most ninja, especially those on a mission, look to avoid unnecessary conflict with other ninja. Judging by the smell of the four people closing in on Team Seven's position there was only one likely scenario.

Directly in front of Naruto, a man dropped in. A katana was strapped to his back and a bandana was covering his shaggy brown hair. He rose from his crouched landing, an imposing figure over the boy making the blond tense up. Sasuke had a hand in his kunai holster and Sakura looked on nervously. Others dropped down from the trees above, Team Seven was surrounded. Still, it was nothing to be worried about. He figured that now would be a good time to step in before Sasuke or Naruto did something rash. Kakashi snapped his book shut gaining the attention of his team and their visitors.

"Yo," Kakashi waived casually with a masked grin. "How's it going Hayate?"

"Well…" Hayate started to answer but the sickly man suddenly began coughing violently. Kakashi mentally corrected himself, it sounded less like coughing and more like he was trying to hack up a lung, "… enough I guess."

Naruto looked to his right, obviously catching a glimpse of something interesting. "Hey Yurushi, guess what!"

Before Kakashi could reign him in, the kid took off; rushing over to meet up with his cousin. Yurushi reacted professionally enough, grasping and drawing his sword while taking a defensive position. It seemed as if the blond just took that act as a personal challenge. Naruto drew a kunai and crossed blades with his cousin until momentum made both take a tumble.

"Naruto," Kakashi sighed, disappointment thick in his voice. "I know you're happy to see your cousin and all, but you really need to follow protocol. This is a boarder check, not a family reunion."

"State your business," Hayate demanded calmly. The man looked tired. It amazed Kakashi just how many ninja were able to be so very effective with so little sleep. He often went on four or five hours of rest if he was lucky. The famed kenjutsu master of Konoha looked as though he hadn't slept in weeks. Still, there he was ready for anything. '_Sort of,_' Kakashi thought as he looked at Naruto goading his cousin into a wrestling match. '_Nobody is really prepared for Naruto._'

"Sakura," Kakashi motioned to the girl, "would you like to do the honors?"

"Um, ah," the girl looked slightly nervous as she passed glances at Sasuke. The raven haired boy didn't appear to notice. He was too busy glowering in the direction of the two Uzumaki rolling around on the forest floor. Sakura nodded to him trying to reassure herself. "The winds guided us to and fro, but we flourish in the shadow of the leaf."

"Welcome home Team Seven," the sword wielding jōnin offered with open arms.

"But Sensei," a white haired teen seemed to object. "That wasn't the correct code, and for all we know that could be an enemy attacking Yurushi!"

Sasuke leveled a withering stare at the girl dressed in mauve colored clothing, and her countenance seemed to shrink when she saw that she had disturbed the young Uchiha. Kakashi couldn't help but think about how genin could be so overly dramatic. He couldn't quite remember, but he wondered if he had been that way when he was a genin. He was around six years old at the time, and there was a war going on. Those sorts of memories were all so fuzzy now.

"Don't worry Hanami," Hayate calmed her concerns. "It's an old code but it checks out, and I'm pretty sure that Yurushi will be alright."

Looking at the family tiff that had been escalating off to the side, Kakashi understood what Hayate had been saying. Yurushi was solidly in control of the match. Naruto was helplessly pinned beneath his cousin with his hands held to far apart to even hope to make a hand seal. The redhead nodded his head agreeing with his Sensei's assessment. "If Naruto hadn't done something like this then it would have been a big sign that they were imposters."

"See Kakashi-sensei," the boy strained with each word as he struggled against his cousin, "I don't need protocol. I'm predictable."

Kakashi buried his face in his hand. '_There are so many things wrong with that I don't even know where to start,_' the man thought as he could feel the mental fatigue set in. That kid was going to be the death of him.

"The last thing you are is predictable," Sakura deadpanned.

"Well," Hayate cut in drawing the attention of everyone sans the Uzumaki. "You are welcome to stop by our camp for a break if you want. Or you can keep on going if you don't have the time."

"A break doesn't sound too bad actually," Kakashi answered warmly.

Eventually, Yurushi was able to release Naruto from his grasp without stirring up retaliation and the pair rejoined the group just as they began to head out. The kids from Gekkō Hayate's team led the way as Kakashi's adorable students followed closely. The pair of Sensei lagged a bit so they could chat, more or less. Kakashi was going to continue reading his book no matter what. Whether a conversation took place was completely up to his fellow instructor. So Kakashi thumbed back to the page he had left off on and hoped that Hayate wouldn't try to demand full attention with a heavy topic.

"How was the mission to Nami?" The man asked.

"Not what we expected," Kakashi answered honestly. "It started off simply enough, protect a bridge builder as he finishes construction of his bridge. We didn't even get out of Hi no Kuni before we were attacked by a couple of nukenin. After that the whole mission pretty much went to hell."

"Who attacked you?" Hayate continued his inquiry. Kakashi giggled to himself as he read more of his book. Jiraiya had obviously decided that one handmaiden wasn't enough. No, there was a second one now. What really took the cake was the revelation that she was the twin of the first. Jiraiya was a true master.

"Let's see, what were their names again?" Kakashi had to pause and think about this one. Everyone knew them by their professional alias, and everyone called them by that, but nobody seemed to be able to recall their actual names. The life of a ninja was based largely on reputation, so it was pretty common to live and die by a nickname. "Oh yeah, it was Gōu and Meizu from Kiri."

"Oni Kyōdai?" Hayate seemed a bit surprised. "Those two are supposed to be the poster boys of coordinated attacks. How did your team handle that one?"

"Take a look," Kakashi nodded toward his team suggesting victory since they were still very much alive. Naruto was laughing wildly as he talked with Yurushi and the brown haired genin. Sakura was engaged in tentative conversation with her fellow kunoichi. Sasuke seemed to be evaluating the other team, as if he was sizing up the competition. His team escaped that fight with minor injuries at worst. The fact that his cute little genin survived the mission at all was impressive enough, and now it fell upon him to ensure they learned from the experience.

"You said the mission went to hell after that, so what else happened?" The kenjutsu practitioner questioned.

"Oh you know, the usual," Kakashi answered vaguely. It was starting to get a little hot under his mask. Yeah, he might have to take back his comments about Daisuke. He still didn't like the character, but what Jiraiya lacked in character depth he made up for it with action. This particular volume was nothing if not action packed.

"Such as," Hayate replied expectantly.

"Well, you know," Kakashi was trying his best not to show just how engrossing this scene was. Daisuke was laying it on thick, and the beautiful trio seemed to be beyond themselves with pleasure. "The client lied about the mission, Gato was trying to kill the bridge builder to keep control of Nami no Kuni, we were attacked by Momochi Zabuza and his Hyōton wielding partner, we recovered and trained, fought them again, Gato interrupted, enemies became friends, and we saved the day. You know, the usual."

"Yeah, right, the usual." Kakashi could hear the hesitation to buy that story as being run of the mill, but it didn't matter. Daisuke was waking up the next morning to a pleasant surprise. The ladies were helping him recover from a few stiff muscles, and the Daimyo's wife said that she needed to come clean about something. '_Jiraiya, she's not the conservative housewife and elegant image of royalty that you said she was now is she? What could she need to confess?_'

"Well," Kakashi thought about everything that had happened in that country over the past several weeks. So much had changed. Naruto had found his nindō. The genin started to become a real team. The client's lives were improved. Zabuza had rediscovered his humanity. The Gato Shipping Corporation was under new management. Hell, even he had changed a little. Kakashi really felt himself settling into the role of Sensei, and he wound up getting into a couple fights that pushed him to limits he almost forgot he had. "Let me just say that Nami no Kuni will never be the same again."

That was the truth. They had freedom. They had hope. They had their heroes again. '_Naruto, you big knucklehead,_' Kakashi mused to himself as Hayate chuckled at unknown impact that Team Seven made. '_You don't know it yet, but this mission was the first step toward your goal. With your nindō and your determination to protect your friends you will surpass the Hokage. I believe it._'

* * *

Hanami, for the first time in a long time, was finally enjoying some girl talk. Sakura, was actually a smart, skilled, and capable young ninja. Her younger companion hadn't acquired the same set of skills that she had developed, but what fun would it be if everyone was the same? Sakura was skilled in her own right; otherwise the girl wouldn't have graduated. Even if she wasn't particularly gifted with ninjutsu, it would only be a matter of time.

This was because her sensei was the ever famed Hatake Kakashi. Her father had told her numerous stories about the man and his legend. Some were firsthand accounts, and others had been acquired by ear. Apparently, the silver haired man had a jutsu that could cut a lightning bolt in half. How crazy was that? It had to be some sort of incredibly powerful ninjutsu to do something even close to that. With a guy like Kakashi teaching genin, how could his students not become powerful shinobi?

"So _I_ totally beat Ino to the classroom which meant that _I_ was the one to sit next to Sasuke-kun," the pink haired girl continued her retelling of the day their team was formed, "but _Naurto_ was already there. I guess he was trying to figure out what was so special about Sasuke-kun because he hopped on top of the desk and just stared at him face to face."

"Oh," Hanami had thought that she had heard this part of the story somewhere, but she couldn't remember exactly. "So, what happened then?"

"I don't know why he did it, I guess he was just clumsy," the pink haired girl carried on. "Somehow he tripped or lost balance and he fell forward, and he kissed Sasuke-kun!"

"What?!" Her violet eyes expanded in shock. Alright, she hadn't heard that story before. How could Yurushi not tell her about that one? That was premium grade dirt on Naruto, and she could tease the blond endlessly with that little tidbit.

"I know right!" Sakura pouted a bit. "He totally stole Sasuke-kun's first kiss from me."

That face. The lower lip hung out in disappointment, and the emerald eyes set in the distance looking for something that just wouldn't happen. It was far too much for Hanami. Laughter burst forth and began to infect the atmosphere. Sakura was too wrapped up in her little dream, and it was kind of cute, but the fact that Naruto was the one who broke the hearts of all those fan girls just took the cake.

"What's so funny?" Sakura giggled.

"That story, your face," Hanami answered trying to control the feeling of hilarity with no success, "it's too much."

"It wasn't _that_ funny," Sakura moaned.

"Yeah it was," the white haired genin hooted. Taking some deep breaths, Hanami got herself settled down. The girl sitting beside her looked a little downcast. Oh, she was serious about this guy. "Sorry, I'm not trying to make fun of you."

"Yeah, it's fine," she answered while tucking a few loose locks of ping hair behind her ear.

"No it's not," Hanami put an affirming hand on her shoulder. "You really like him, and I shouldn't be making fun of you for loving someone."

"Really, it's nothing," Sakura tried to make less of the situation. Hanami wasn't buying it though.

"Everyone in my class went head over heels for one of two people," Hanami recalled with her focus set on her fellow kunoichi. "They were the best of the class, and were constantly outdoing one another as they tried to take the number one spot. I wasn't taken with either one of them."

"Well, why not?" Sakura asked looking slightly surprised.

"I liked someone else," she explained. "The other girls called me crazy or dumb for liking someone they thought wasn't the best, but to me he is the greatest."

Unable to help herself, her eyes drifted over to Kenshi as he, Yurushi, and Naruto were laughing and having their own brand of fun while Sasuke sat nearby and tried to ignore them. "So you like Yurushi then? I can see why, he is kind of cute. He has nothing on Sasuke-kun, but he's pretty good looking. Naruto is always talking about how good the guy is, so I guess some of it has to be true."

The snowy haired girl shook her head. "No," she corrected. "Yurushi is a great ninja, but I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about Kenshi."

"Really?" Sakura seemed amazed by the revelation. "Why?"

"He makes me feel like I can do anything," she answered honestly. "The first time we really met was the first day Mizuki-sensei had us do taijutsu practice. Sensei paired us together, and when it was my turn I was so nervous I didn't think I could move. Kenshi just stood there and in front of the entire class he told me to give him my best shot. I didn't know what to say, but he kept egging me on and said that if I gave it my all that I could probably beat him."

"So did you," Sakura inquired with here emerald eyes set with focus. "Win I mean?"

"He made me forget about how many people were watching me and judging me," Hanami answered, violet eyes lingering on the sword maker. His eyes shifted from a dark brown to a glimmering hazel in the sunlight. Sword drawn, he seemed to be explaining some kenjutsu maneuver to Naruto. Kenshi was always so confident, and always helping her out. He was strength. Not just physical strength, but strength of heart, and it always bled into her. "I gave it my best, but when I started to get the upper hand he smiled at me and said I was really good. He was just so close to me that it made me feel nervous, and the break in the fight made me remember where I was. I froze, and he won."

"Wow," the pink haired girl gasped. "That just sounds such a special moment you two shared. I kind of wish I had something like that with Sasuke-kun."

"Why do you like Sasuke so much?" Hanami turned the tables, and the blush that sprung up on her new friend's face showed that she wasn't quite ready for the question. "I mean, he is good looking, but he just looks so angry. Maybe he's in a bad mood today, but so far I just don't see what the deal with him is."

"Well," Sakura prepared to run the gamut of reason that she liked the Uchiha boy. "You see, um, there is, uh…"

Hanami felt her grin grow. Waiting expectantly for some coherent answer Hanami had determined that Sakura didn't know why she really liked Sasuke. There were reasons, to be sure, but none were real. Nothing had the same feeling of legitimacy like the reason she liked Kenshi, and Sakura knew this. She was a girl determined, and she was not to be outdone. She knew what she wanted, and was going to get it come hell or high water. Still, what the girl wanted was a dream, though it was still amorphous. Anyone could hold the place in her heart that Sasuke did at the moment, and part of the rookie genin knew this. Otherwise, she wouldn't be struggling so much to put the young Uchiha in that spot.

"I believe you like Sasuke," Hanami cut in before Sakura could continue any further. "Sooner or later he'll give you a good reason to give him your heart, or he'll break it."

"Sasuke-kun would never do that to me," Sakura objected defiantly.

"I _know_ that Kenshi-kun would never do anything to hurt me," Hanami responded, "but that is because I know the kind of person he is. Can you say the same for Sasuke?"

"Well, I know that he's strong, and he will protect his friends," Sakura answered a bit quietly than before. "He nearly died saving Naruto, so I'm sure that he would protect me if I needed help."

"I'm sure you're right, however," Hanami paused. She wanted to choose her words carefully. She tried to think about what her mother might say to her. "Love is something that you should follow, no matter where your heart tells you to go."

Her mother gave that advice quite freely, and that may have something to do with her own life. In the days when her mother was still young, she met a stalwart shinobi assigned to protect her and her family. They spoke whenever there was a chance and she became quite smitten with the young chūnin. The mission ended and they swore to stay in touch, and that promise was kept the only way the growing young woman knew how. Every time her father needed the skills of a shinobi to protect the family she would request that he be among their company. As the years wore on they professed their love for one another, a deal was struck, and they were wed. That was the story that Hanami was told at least, and she always enjoyed its simplicity. Love didn't have to be complicated; it only needed to be genuine.

Hanami let the words sink in as she thought of her parent's love story. There was wisdom with what her mother had said. It was something that the woman had lived by, and it had worked for her. Why wouldn't something that was obviously true work out for someone else? "It doesn't matter what others say or think, you'll know when you've found someone worth giving your heart to because that is who you'll live and die for."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Sakura responded thoughtfully. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why were you so worried about people watching and judging you during a simple taijutsu practice?"

"Well," Hanami hadn't been prepared to answer something like that. "It's, um, kind of a long story. My dad casts a long shadow, and I found out pretty quick that people are expecting me to be the kind of shinobi that he couldn't be."

"What do you mean by that?" The girl was slightly confused. Hanami mentally sighed. She wasn't too keen on telling her family issues with a perfect stranger, harmless enough as they were. Although, Sakura seemed genuine in her concern, so the veteran of the two decided to share a little bit.

"My mom was part of some noble family in another country before she met my dad," the snowy haired girl began to explain. "When they told my grandparents they wanted to get married it wasn't exactly welcome news for my grandmother. My grandfather didn't care much about the whole social status stuff since he had been a farm boy that worked his way to being rich, but he was worried about my mom getting married to a ninja. He didn't want her getting widowed in two years, so he made my dad vow to retire when my mom became pregnant or he wouldn't give his blessing. My dad agreed, and he retired the day after he found out my mom was pregnant with me. For everyone that knew him as a ninja it's always felt like I've had to live up to the potential my dad used to have."

"Wow," Sakura replied. "That sounds like a lot of pressure."

"Yeah, and I've never been good with pressure," Hanami answered. "I wanted to be a shinobi though, so I guess I have to learn to deal with it somehow."

"Yeah," Sakura relented something with a sigh. Behind her green eyes, Sakura was hiding similar troubles. At least, that was what Hanami suspected and secretly wished. "I know what you mean."

Being shinobi seemed to be synonymous with being fearless. At every turn Hanami was at a loss as to how people were able to overcome their fears and act in the face of certain failure. It was a struggle, something that none of her classmates were openly admitting to share. Now, here was a fellow kunoichi that seemed to understand the reality of this problem, and it helped for the genin to know that she wasn't alone with is problem. Dwelling on the problem right now, however, wasn't going to solve it.

"Well, I'm going to go get some dinner ready," Hanami stood to set about her self-assigned job within the Team Thirteen's mission duties. "Would you like to help?"

"Sure!" Sakura exclaimed as they set to cooking a nice little campfire meal. Hanami wondered if understanding one another they would somehow help find the answers to the problems they couldn't solve alone.

* * *

"You totally robbed me!" Naruto shouted across the campfire. "I would have had him, and you know it!"

"Hn, whatever loser," Sasuke replied casually.

Naruto had been recapping the fight against the Oni Kyōdai until that jerk Sasuke decided to butt in and add how he just stood there. '_That raven haired pretty boy can talk all he wants, but I wasn't a scaredy cat!_'

"Seriously though," Naruto glared at Sasuke one more time before returning the conversation back to Yurushi and Kenshi. "I wasn't afraid of him. He was so slow. You could totally run circles around that guy Yurushi. I was just waiting for him to get closer so I could take him down."

"You sure did _look_ afraid," Kakashi added gleefully.

"I was acting!" Naruto defended himself. Here he was trying to show his cousin how awesome he was, but now he was just trying to save face. '_Not cool Kakashi-sensei!_' Naruto thought with a pout. '_If anyone there was afraid it was you. You were hiding in the bushes for the whole fight._'

"I'm sure that Sasuke was just giving you some back up," Yurushi explained. "You guys are a new team, so it could be a little while before you know when someone needs help and when you're just laying a trap."

"At least I didn't almost die like a pansy," Naruto grumbled.

"Only because I was saving your sorry ass," the Uchiha glared.

Eyes locked in an unseen struggle for dominance and Naruto wasn't going to waiver. Not now, not this time, not to _him_. There was something about Sasuke. The guy just got under his skin. It didn't matter what the Uchiha prodigy was doing, it usually irked him. Still, he was a comrade. Despite their harsh competition to prove just who was better between them, Naruto could feel the bonds of friendship forming. They related to each other, like no one else could, and Naruto just couldn't bring himself to truly hate the guy.

Right now was a different story as they simultaneously broke eye contact and looked elsewhere. He hated everything about the guy sometimes, but he just couldn't bring himself to feel pure and unbridled disgust toward the rookie of the year. Sasuke knew what it felt like, in ways that Yurushi never could. Sasuke was just like him for a while. Completely alone.

That loneliness that threatened to consume him, and dominated every aspect of his life, Sasuke knew what that felt like. There was no one to turn to, no one who reached out for you, and everywhere you went you saw people who enjoyed those vital connections. People who just took for granted everything that neither of them had. They kept going about their lives as if nothing could ever change.

Naruto had never felt those connections. Never knew what it was like to have mom tuck him into bed and kiss his forehead goodnight. He never knew what it was to feel pride at having mastered something that his dad had taught him. Never did he understand what it was like to know the love of parents. His cousin had given him a glimpse of what it was like to have a real family, but the bond with Yurushi wasn't the same as the silent connection he shared with that Uchiha bastard. Naruto couldn't explain it, but he knew he felt a deep connection to Sasuke.

"Well," Kakashi stood up from his seat. "I think it's time we headed out. Thanks for the food, it was great."

"Anytime Kakashi," Hayate nodded.

"Come on guys," Kakashi waved for Team Seven to join him, "let's go home."

Naruto gathered his things and got ready to leave. Sasuke wordlessly brushed by him which the blond wanted to take exception to, but his cousin simply shook his head. The bewhiskered looking teen walked over to Yurushi to say his goodbyes.

"When are you going to be back home?" Naruto asked.

"Sensei says that they are still finding a replacement team," Yurushi explained, "a week, maybe two."

"Yeah," Kenshi grinned. "It shouldn't be that long. When we get back you'll have to spar with me so I can see those sweet moves you used against Momochi Zabuza!"

"Sure thing Kenshi!" The blond accepted the challenge with a thumb's up as he stepped back to go.

"I'll see you later," Yurushi nodded.

"See ya!" He answered with as he turned.

Running to catch up with the rest of his team, Naruto felt a little better. The big mission in Nami had sparked inside of him a renewed desire to grow and develop his skills. Haku had helped him develop his own personal nindō. He wasn't going to run away and he wasn't going to back down, and he was never going to go back on his word. Just like Haku never ceased being loyal to his friend and mentor, Naruto was going to do the same. He would protect his friends, stand by their side, and never give up on them.

The forest stayed quiet as they walked beneath the trees. It was a shift of scenery that made the blond feel good. It was closer to home. It was closer to his dreams. It was closer to his future. Konohagakure was the place that had everything. Sure, it took a lot from him, but it offered so much more. There was hope, and friendship, and promise. Nothing else had that kind of grip on him. In spite of everything that had happened, Naruto never gave up on his hometown.

'_That's what you did for Zabuza,_' Naruto thought as he rejoined the rest of his squad. '_You never gave up on him, and you might have never seen it, but he did care about you._'

Sasuke smirked as he glanced toward the blond. "You done saying goodbye to your loser friends?"

"Hey!" Naruto growled, anger resurfacing. "They aren't losers!"

"They're friends with you so they have to be," Sasuke scoffed.

Grabbing his teammate by the collar of his shirt, Naruto shoved the proud Uchiha against the nearest tree. Staring into those dark eyes Naruto wasn't going to back down. He just swore that he wouldn't do that. It didn't matter if this guy was better than him, and it certainly didn't matter what his name was, no one was going to diss on his friends.

"I don't care what you say about me, but you can't talk about my friends like that!" Naruto snarled. "So shut your mouth!"

"You can't make me," Sasuke responded. "Unlike you, I don't need _friends_ to carry me. I'll achieve my goals with my own hands."

"Bullshit!" Naruto pressed in on Sasuke. "You'll need help sooner or later, and when you do I'm gonna be there!"

"Oh yeah?" Sasuke asked doubting Naruto's words. The blond was kind of glad that Kakashi-sensei hadn't stepped up to break them apart, or that Sakura hadn't tried to butt in. This had been burning at him ever since Sasuke jumped in front of Haku's attack. "What are you gonna do? Are you just going to rub it in, or are you going to get scared and freeze up?"

"Neither," Naruto answered shoving Sasuke off to the side, and the prodigy lost balance falling down. Reaching his hand out to his comrade, Naruto continued "I'll be right there to lend you a hand."

The Uchiha didn't do anything immediately. He just sat there staring at Naruto, scrutinizing, judging, and thinking about what was said. "I'll always be there to help my friends," Naruto added. He meant it too. Sasuke was more than just a teammate and rival to him at this point. There was no doubting it anymore or denying it. However they got at each other's throats, no matter what they said or did that annoyed one another, Sasuke was a friend.

He was more than just a friend really. They both knew the cold sting of abject loneliness, and both managed to survive in that isolated ring of hell and come out stronger. Naruto could almost feel like that Sasuke had become like a brother to him. '_Yeah, a comrade, a friend, a brother. That's what you are Sasuke, and I'll never give up on those who are precious to me_.'

"Tsk," the Uchiha sneered as he slapped away the blond's hand. "Whatever."

Standing again, Sasuke kept walking toward Konoha. Naruto, with the rest of his team, followed behind. He wasn't worried about the raven haired genius' reaction. Sasuke wasn't exactly like him. Accepting bonds of friendship and brotherhood might come a little slower for him than most. Whereas Naruto felt starved for companionship, Sasuke seemed to be blocking everyone else out.

Still, it didn't matter. Time would change all that. '_I won't give up on you either Sasuke,_' Naruto thought as he caught Kakashi give him an unseen smile. '_I'll keep reaching out my hand for you until you finally take it_.'

* * *

The sun sank quickly behind the trees in the hours after Naruto left, and a week had passed in a blur. Countless runs through the patrol route was just the kind of thing that Yurushi needed. It gave him time to think, to study, test and evaluate. He had solved the final piece of the puzzle. The seal was complete enough to where he was willing to try it out. There were probably unnecessary redundancies in the sealing array, but as far as he could tell, all of it worked at maximum efficiency. It was as perfect as it was going to be right now.

"That tickles," Hanami snickered.

"Sit still or I'll mess up," Yurushi requested. He was almost done and he didn't feel like starting all over again. Especially since the light was almost gone. Then he'd have to wait until tomorrow. Kenshi's seal worked perfectly so far, and the Uzumaki would only know if it was truly working once Hanami's was active. It was delicate work at this point and the brush moved in feathered strokes behind the kunoichi's right ear.

"Just a few more," Yurushi hoped that the girl would control herself long enough to let him finish.

Finally, it was done. Setting the brush down to his side, the redhead inspected his work for errors. Kenshi laughed at what must have been an odd looking scene. Yurushi studied intently at the seal that had been scrawled all along the side of Hanami's face, neck, and ear. Yurushi must have looked ridiculous staring into the girl's ear like that.

"Did you find something in there," Kenshi chuckled, "or are you seeing through to the other side?"

"Kenshi!" Hanami rose swiftly and made him pay for the joke with a jab to the arm, which brought a grin to Yurushi's face. She could be nasty when pushed to it. Much like her chakra nature, Hanami could be quite fiery and impassioned, but she had to feel comfortable enough to get to that point. The girl returned to her formerly seated positioned and Yurushi started the final act. Cycling through several sets of hand seals, the redhead was eagerly finishing his work.

"You're sure that all of this will go away?" Hanami asked nervously.

"Sure," Kenshi answered for him. "Take a look at me! Not a single mark on me."

"The seal is small, and will only be visible when you are channeling your chakra through it," Yurushi confirmed as he finished molding his chakra for the jutsu. Setting his left hand so the palm covered her ear, fingers followed her jawline across her cheek stretching to her mouth, and a thumb ran down to the middle of her neck, the seal burned. Hanami hissed in discomfort. There was no avoiding that part, while he hated causing her pain it was going to help them all in the long run.

The burning oranges and red congealed themselves to a small, semi-circular design right behind her earlobe. The ink's glow faded to black as metal cooling from the forge, and soon the seal disappeared altogether.

"So, um," Hanami recovered, "how does this thing work?"

"You press a finger or two right behind your ear, sort of where the hinge of your jaw is, and let chakra flow from your finger into the seal," Yurushi began to explain. "From there you just think about what it is you want to say as if you were going to say it out loud. The seal picks up on the subtle chakra signals that the brain sends to help you speak and it transmits them to the other seals."

"Really?" The kunoichi asked excitedly. "That's really cool! I'm going to try it out."

Putting her finger to behind her ear Hanami did just that. 'So just like this?' Yurushi heard his teammate's voice in his ears. It was like listening to an echo of the real thing, but it worked just like Kenshi's.

'Yeah, that's how it works,' Kenshi responded utilizing the seal. His voice was clear and strong as his lips moved, but no words escaped them. 'It doesn't always pick up if you're just thinking it though. You have to actually try and talk like you would normally until you get the hang of it.'

"You're actually trying to talk?" Yurushi asked more than curious. The instructions given to Kenshi were to mouth the words as if he were talking, not to actually try and speak. It was an interesting revelation though. He had thought that speaking normally while using the seal would still be an option, but maybe the design was flawed. More than likely he simply didn't understand the theory behind what he was doing. Still, it worked with minimal adverse effects.

"Yeah, I figured that was what you meant. Did I do it wrong?" Kenshi asked, appearing slightly worried that he might have broken his new toy.

Yurushi shook his head to the negative with a furrowed brow. He'd have to double check his research to try and find if this was a mistake, a side effect, or just a quirk in his own seal work. Either way, it was something that he would have to do when at home. He didn't expect to have been gone for so long, and had left some of his less critical research notes in his room.

"The seal is set to transmit messages to all of us automatically, but if we ever needed to I developed a way to send a message to just one person," Yurushi explained forgoing the use of his invention. "Before you activate the seal, you use specific hand seals that correspond to a particular person."

'What are they?' Kenshi asked without actually speaking. He was having way too much fun with this, which made Yurushi happy. His invention worked, and it worked well, one minor flaw notwithstanding. This would really help them coordinate an ambush or better defend against one.

"For Kenshi, U, Mi, Hitsuji," Yurushi said as he displayed the technique. 'Do you read me?'

'Yeah, loud and clear,' Kenshi answered. Hanami looked a little lost which Yurushi understood as a sign that she didn't hear anything.

"For Hanami, U, Tora, Hitsuji," the redhead continued demonstrating how the fūinjutsu worked. 'What do you think Hanami?'

'This is awesome!' She exclaimed. Her lips weren't moving, and her voice was muffled and quiet. Yurushi figured that she was determined to figure the technique out her own way, and he hoped that it wouldn't cause any problems. 'Did you hear him Kenshi-kun?'

Kenshi shook his head in the negative. 'What about you Yurushi?' The young swordsman asked. 'How can we send a message just to you?'

"For me it's U, Inu, Hitsuji," the Uzumaki demonstrated.

'Can you hear me?' Both of his teammates echoed in his ear with zeal.

"One at a time, but yeah I heard both of you," the genin answered with a finger clawing into an ear as if to remove the invading voices. "I really developed this so that we can talk without needing to use our hand signals all of the time. That and so Sensei doesn't crack our code and beat us in our training exercises again."

"With this we can make a plan in secret and use our hand signals to throw Sensei off," Kenshi proclaimed. "He'll never get the drop on us again!"

"Yeah," Hanami agreed warmly. "This is awesome Yurushi! I didn't know that you could do stuff like this!"

The red head was a little embarrassed by the praise, but accepted it all the same. Team Thirteen would be able to accomplish things that no other team could. All because of their friendship and how they believed in each other. Yurushi knew that his invention was just a medium of communication. The real determinant of success will be how well the team could listen to one another, and not just to each other's words, but to each other's hearts.

"What are you guys doing over there?" There Sensei asked as he walked into the camp.

"Nothing!" All three genin answered quickly and far too suspiciously.

"Well come on its time to get some shut eye," Hayate-sensei ordered with slight hypocrisy. The man never slept. Not once did Yurushi ever remember seeing him sleeping. Ever. "Yurushi, you'll be taking first watch."

Nodding, Yurushi gathered his pack and prepared himself, mind and body, for the long night ahead. The Chūnin Exams were fast approaching and there was much left for him to do before he felt ready. Though, with this seal completed and working he felt a lot more confident about the team's chances.

Staking a claim on a branch high in the trees, Yurushi settled in for his sentinel. The breeze was crisp and the stars danced in the night sky. Light of the moon filtered through the trees as Tsukuyomi's song rang clear. There was so much that he needed to do. So much left to accomplish. Sitting still, Yurushi meditated on the nature of his chakra. He was swimming in its power. The rage of its current pulled at him, but he remained firm. The waves tossed about, trying to shake him with their might, but he stood against them.

In the quiet all became still. The waters of his soul calmed. The surface and the deep stopped churning. Rising upon them he could feel that it was more than a peaceful connection. This time he was in control. This time he could direct the tides. The ebb and flow of the flood of his chakra beckoned and he answered the call. Plucking a leaf from a nearby stem he decided to test the waters.

Letting his chakra flow through the greenery, Yurushi imagined the current of his strength carrying the moisture locked within away. It was a strain, a struggle, like cutting wood with a dull blade. Drawing a palm away, the redhead could feel a tug, and the real fight began. Overcoming the resistance, he withdrew his chakra and let the power fade. Sitting there in the palm of Yurushi's hand was a single drop of water. Progress.


	20. May the Best Man Win

**Chapter 20: May the Best Man Win**

"Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best; it removes all that is base. All men are afraid in battle. The coward is the one who lets his fear overcome his sense of duty. Duty is the essence of manhood." - George S. Patton

* * *

The sunlight filtered into the small room, giving light to an early morning. Crossing over from where he sat on his bed, a small blond strode over to his desk. Otherwise empty, the wood simply gathered dust on its surface. Today was different though. Today a single sheet of paper waited in the center of the open expanse. Naruto heaved.

It was crunch time. A decision needed to be made. It was a simple choice. Yes or no. Nothing else, but for whatever reason, his hand waivered. '_Did Yurushi have this much hesitation?_' The teen wondered as he grabbed hold of a pen and let his thoughts settle as he stared at the sheet.

If he didn't sign it, then he wouldn't compete. There was nothing wrong with that. Sasuke and Sakura could continue if they wanted, but was he really ready? Physically, yes. There was no doubt that he was capable, and Naruto knew that he could handle whatever this exam could throw at him. The thing that made his hand pull away every time it moved to write his name on that tauntingly blank line was the thought of the fight against Zabuza and Haku.

Ninja are tools. He swore that he would never let himself become a tool, and he would never treat anyone like that. People were people, not weapons. The blond fought for what he believed, and he would die for it if that was what needed to happen. Haku was willing to die for his beliefs, and so was the Yondaime. Even though they believed in different things, their actions had the same goal. Protect what is precious to you.

Sometimes protecting something meant spilling blood. Yurushi was testament to that. Naruto had heard his cousin cry though horrid dreams, and nurse the hidden wounds of the things he had to do. The redhead had taken life. When Naruto heard the confession it came as a shock. To have blood on your hands changes you. Forever. The only thing that changed about Naruto's perception of his cousin was the acknowledgement of the shame that Yurushi held for what he had done. Yurushi was mournful for those he had killed.

Zabuza, on the other hand, never cared about the lives that he took. Nothing else mattered but his mission. Friends, comrades, enemies, innocents, all of them were obstacles that needed to be cut down if they couldn't get out of the way. The man was a monster. That monster was the image of what a shinobi could become. He was the face of what some people expected a shinobi to become. Every fiber of the orange clad ninja's being was opposed to that kind of existence. It had no heart. It was calloused and cold and unforgiving. The sacrifice that was required to be a shinobi like that was to abandon your humanity, and for Naruto that was too steep a price.

Sensei was another person who seemed to be changed by the death he caused. The man was ever a mystery, but Kakashi seemed to truly care. He wanted to see his students live, learn, and grow as people, but his affections were from a distance. Sensei was impersonal, and secretive. Everyone stayed at an arm's length. While the man had encouraging words, and was quick to give guidance his voice was tinged with regret. Kakashi-sensei was a man half alive. Drifting, coasting, just letting life happen. Naruto wanted to have a life worth living.

Yurushi was similar in the regards to his silence. Naruto saw that his cousin was not plagued with guilt in the way that Kakashi was, but the weight was there all the same. The samurai turned ninja had taken life for a very specific purpose. Yurushi was trying to protect, and while Naruto didn't want to kill anyone he could understand the motivation. What his cousin had said was the most worrisome thing. He had said was how easily his body moved knowing that he was going to kill. His hands, he said, moved on their own volition and his blade cut through flesh effortlessly, remorselessly. Naruto didn't want killing to be an easy thing.

Finally there was the Kyūbi. The demon in his gut had given him power. It was a strength unlike anything Naruto had ever felt before. It was a feeling that he could tear the world asunder as his rage coursed through his veins and set them on fire. It was unlocked when he had thought Sasuke was dead. In retrospect, it was a moment that solidified one thing for Naruto. Sasuke, no matter what, was a friend and a comrade. They didn't have to like each other, but a person doesn't just give their life to protect someone without reason, even if their body was just moving on its own. The anger of watching his rival fall overwhelmed him for a moment. In that moment Naruto came so close, so very close to ending Haku's life.

'_It would have been so easy,_' Naruto thought as he remembered the moment on that bridge. The boy even invited his own death. All the masked ninja wanted was to be useful to Zabuza, but killing him wouldn't have brought Sasuke back. Luckily, Naruto had let his anger fade before the fell stroke, and it turned out Sasuke wasn't as dead as he appeared. Still, the thought lingered. What if all of that rage was turned against a comrade, a friend? What then?

He couldn't let that happen. He would have to learn to control the power within him. Thing was, he didn't even know how he could do something like that. The Shinobi Academy didn't exactly have a manual for living as a jinchūriki, and if they did he probably wouldn't read it anyway. Besides, it wasn't as if he could just ask around for people to help him out. Talking about the Kyūbi so openly was begging for trouble, and Naruto didn't want any more than he already had. Well, nothing more than what he knew he could handle at least. There would always be pranks that need to be pulled.

The only thought that made any measure of sense was to become stronger, and things like the Exams would help him understand how he had grown. A promotion wouldn't hurt either. Especially if he could make chūnin before Sasuke did. '_Yeah, that'd be great!_' The blond grinned wildly at the idea. '_I'd love to be able to rub that in his face_.'

Protecting those that were precious to him was newfound goal. It was the new reason he would become Hokage. There were so many people that Naruto had grown attached to, and the teen knew that life would never be the same if he were to lose even one of them. Eyes stared at the space above the dotted line, and he knew that protecting people from danger might also mean protecting them from himself. He still didn't understand the nature of the power he tapped into, but he knew the rage that boiled inside of him as he wielded that unearthly strength. Naruto knew that he had to learn to control either that power, or his own anger. Both were challenging prospects, and success wouldn't come easy.

"No giving up," Naruto chanted to himself as he reinforced the strength of his will. "No backing down. No going back on my word."

Signing his name on the paper, Naruto grabbed the sheet and left the room. Walking through the door of his apartment he knew that each step was a step toward his dream. He wasn't going to give up on becoming Hokage, and he wasn't going to give in. '_I won't kill my heart like Haku did. I won't become a shinobi like that. Not now, not ever!_'

* * *

Sliding the door open the streets were dead. Silence reigned as he stepped out of his home. He was ready. Nothing would stop him from making the next step. The rank of chūnin wasn't the goal. It would help, but it was simply a unit of measure. It really didn't matter if he was promoted or not. The exams would just let him know where he stood against the best.

That was what he truly craved. Testing his limits. Pushing himself to go further, higher, beyond what held him back. Sasuke was ready. Walking through the barrenness of his ancestral home just served as a greater reminder for how ready he was. He ached for it. Every waking moment he longed for the chance. Proving himself in the Chūnin Exams would only show the rest of Konoha how ready he was.

It wasn't simply being the best that drove him. He only had to be better. Better than _that man_. No one else mattered. Nothing else mattered. The blood that filled the empty streets called out to him at night. The voices of the dead begged for justice. Only the death of _that man_ would give them rest. They deserved rest. Sasuke would give it. Gladly. Even at the cost of his life. It was his duty, and the least he could do for his family.

The worn gates of the Uchiha compound neared. The symbol of his clan appeared on the wood. Color faded and paint chipped, but proudly it endured the elements. The fan was meant to stoke the flames. It gave them strength, and for generations those fires had guided his family to greatness. It was quaint; to think that at one time the Uchiha fanned the flames of the Will of Fire, but now that light dwindles. One night was all it took. One man was able to still the fan, kill the flames, and envelop his world in darkness.

The Uchiha was no more, but as long as he lived and breathed Sasuke would bring them the justice that name craved. His life would reap vengeance. Opening the gate was opening the way to the future. The Chūnin Exams awaited him. It would test his resolve, and sharpen his will. Both would be needed to be at their peak in the years to come. Sasuke was no fool. He knew what _that man_ was capable of. Only when he was ready would he answer the call for revenge. Closing the gate behind him was closing all thought of turning back. Only move forward. Just keep moving.

At the end of the road his goal awaited. To get there, the path would be rough. It would challenge him, and Sasuke would let it. Every trial, every test, every obstacle was a benchmark to be overcome. Only by moving forward would he find the strength he needed. Only when he found the ceiling, the absolute limit to what he could achieve would this path end.

People looked at him. He met their gaze. Eyes full of fear gave him no pause. He was not _that man_. Their fears were unfounded, but Sasuke would not waste time trying to change their mind. Some of those gazes held respect. It wasn't respect for him, but for the memory of a now dead clan. It was useless to him. As useless as he had felt the night his family had been slaughtered. He would take their respect when he had done something worthy of it.

Then, others held the vestige of pity as they glanced his way. Sasuke hated that. Almost as much as the reason they pitied him for. No amount of comfort or concern could bring back what was stolen from him. Not even his desire to avenge the wrongs against him would do that. Nothing could bring back the dead. Nothing could return his brother to him. Killing _that man_ could only bring closure. Closure would have to be enough. Knowing that the one responsible had paid for his crimes would be the only thing that Sasuke would receive for his efforts.

The road he walked down had only one end. It was the same as its beginning. Carved out for him by the man he chased after. The destination was not chūnin, it was not jōnin, and it was not Hokage. The destination was a grave that needed to be filled. Only one person would do, and Sasuke was ready to put him down.

Whatever it took. No matter what. There was no other option. Only one thing mattered. Uchiha Itachi had to die. It was as simple as that. If something stood in his way then he would go around it. If he could not go around then he would go over. If not over, then under. If the obstacle would not move, then he would remove it. The end was Itachi's death, and the means to get there were an afterthought. Nothing more.

'_I'm coming for you,_' he thought as he paced his way to the place of the exams. '_Soon Itachi, I'm coming for you very soon._'

* * *

"You be careful out there," her mother's voice called out as she rushed out the door.

"I will mom," Sakura called back to her. "You don't have to worry about me! I'll have my team with me, so I'll be fine!"

Stepping onto the road with pink hair flowing behind her, Sakura ran. She would have her team with her. Sasuke-kun and Naruto were counting on her help, just as she was counting on them. They were in this together, and just like the Nami mission, they would be able to pull through. Nothing could stop them if they worked together.

Her brains, Sasuke-kun's skill, and Naruto's determination. These were the things that gave them the edge. As long as her friends were by her side, she could do anything. That idea gave her pause as she weaved in and out of the early morning traffic. The market place near her home was always so busy. Her parents had carved out a living here in the shadows of Konoha's mighty trees. The protection of the shinobi provided was something her parents had always respected.

It was part of the reason she became a kunoichi in the first place. Her father spoke so highly of the ninja of Konohagakure, and her mother always told her stories of how the brave Hokage had saved the village from certain destruction. The life of the ninja was so full of excitement and wonder. Sakura wanted a piece of that. Her parent's jobs just seemed so bland by comparison, and they were always on her case about this, that, and the other. Becoming a ninja was a way to escape the lackluster.

Smiling gently and waving to a neighbor as she passed by, Sakura recalled something. The life of a kunoichi was supposed to bring her a bit more freedom. Or that was the hope. Her parents would recognize her duty, strength, and responsibility and would lay off. Her fledgling career seemed to have only caused them to worry and fret over her more. She just wanted to taste the freedom to do what she wanted to do without fear of reproach. It wasn't like she was some sort of hedonist that would go crazy and seek out all kinds of debauchery. It made her wonder what life would be like if her parents weren't always nagging her.

What would life be like without parents at all?

She had always assumed that growing up without parents was the reason why Naruto was always acting like such a brat. But even still, the Academy gave him the same expectations and responsibilities that she had to deal with. The difference was that he was free to do as he pleased when not at school. What made him such a pest was the fact that he pleased to be a moron most of the time. Since she wasn't Naruto, she had come to believe that life would be a bit better without someone lording over her constantly.

That was the prevailing thought until the day she joined Team Seven. Sasuke came back after their first brief conversation looking for Naruto. _The sadness of having a parent yell at you is nowhere near what he feels_. The words still echo in her head. There was something in Sasuke's voice as he said it. Almost like contempt, but not quite. Still, it was an eye opener. Much like the time when she saw the blond loudmouth's concealed skills. Naruto was full of surprises, and one of them was the unspoken understanding that he had formed with her crush.

Sasuke-kun knew about Naruto's loneliness, and resonated with it. The two had a bond, however tense, and it was something that she couldn't quite grasp. Naruto was bold, brash, determined. Sasuke, was cool, calm, collected. Neither of their personalities matched, but they had formed some sort of brotherhood with one another. It was a connection born out of mutual suffering. They both understood what it felt like to be alone.

Their goals and dreams were forged in that loneliness. Naruto wanted to become Hokage so that the village would acknowledge him. Sasuke wanted to kill a _certain someone_. Despite the vast disparity between their reasons for becoming shinobi, the two understood one another in a way that went beyond friendship. Even though they hated each other's guts half the time, one still had the other's back.

They were a team. Through and through. The mission to Nami no Kuni had made that abundantly clear. Still, there was something missing. Sakura knew what it was. It was her. She was useless thus far. All she did was stand around Tazuna and hope that nobody got close enough to attack him. She was scared out of her mind. The whole time, she stood there as knees verged on buckling under the weight of immense fear. Those eyes. Zabuza's eyes. It was the gaze of a bloodthirsty monster who craved the kill. She knew at that moment where she stood in the hierarchy of skill.

Sure, she had completed the tree walking exercise before her other two teammates, but what did that actually get her? Sasuke was so sure of his skills, and Naruto was simply fearless. They moved in tandem, and needed only motions, brief exchanges, and half spoken statements to come up with effective plans. Neither one of them needed her at all.

Sakura stopped in the middle of the street at the thought. They never asked for her help during the mission to protect the bridge builder. They never needed her skills, her abilities, not even her advice for anything involving the actual mission. She was becoming the dead weight. Not just for Sasuke, but for Naruto as well. The rookie of the year and the not so dead last were leaving her in their collective dust. Pretty soon they would be gone. So far ahead that she couldn't catch up.

'_What can I even do?_' Sakura thought as she cradled herself with doubting arms. '_I don't have a kekkei genkai like Sasuke-kun, and I'm not an endless supply of chakra like Naruto. I don't have anything to offer the team._'

Looking back from where she had come, Sakura thought about returning home. She wasn't ready for this. She would only be a burden, and the last thing that she wanted was to be a hindrance to Sasuke-kun, or even Naruto for that matter. They had a vision, dreams, goals, a future that they were working towards. What did she have? Nothing. Nothing more than a childhood fantasy.

Sensei had told her that her mind was her most valuable asset to the team. That was why he began teaching her the basics of genjutsu. He had said that there was nothing wrong with being _a thinking man's shinobi_, and that a ninja was not always worth his weight in jutsu. Still, it was hard to justify her own role in the group when she only knew the most basic things. Anyone can do a Kawarimi or a Henge, and the more frequently the enemy is exposed to a technique the harder it becomes to pull it off successfully.

She began to walk home. It was hopeless. Sasuke-kun would never ask her help to defeat _that man_, whoever he was. Naruto probably wouldn't need any more advice from her to become Hokage. He had figured out quite a bit on his own thus far. Chakra control could explain itself once you get a feel for it. Even Naruto could manage to learn _some_ control. Suddenly, the thought about the blond goofball made her remember what he had said during the tree climbing training. _That's the girl I put my confidence in_.

That big dummy. He must have seen how helpless she was when it truly mattered, but he still believed that she had value. Sakura paused mid-step. If Naruto put his confidence in her, against all reason and evidence to the contrary, then he would never abandon her. '_If that moron isn't going to give up on me then I'm not giving up on him either. Besides, I can't let that ramen loving fool show me up in front of Sasuke-kun,_' Sakura vowed as she turned around.

'_Somehow, someway,_' She swore with each step as she broke into a sprint. '_I will prove that I deserve to be here. I'll show them that I am an important part of Team Seven just like them!_'

* * *

"Well," Hayate-sensei coughed. "Just walk through those doors and the test will begin. Stick together, be careful, and do your best."

"Yes Sensei!" Team Thirteen chorused.

Yurushi was holding back some excitement. He was hoping that somehow, a one on one matchup would be part of the exams. He really wanted to fight against Neji. The last chance they had to spar was denied because his friend and rival had been exhausted. There was no fun in challenging the Hyūga if he didn't have the energy to fight back.

Then, there was the desire to fight Naruto as well. The redhead wanted to see how much his cousin had grown since he had graduated. They really hadn't seen much of one another in the past six months, and when they did it was almost always in passing. Hanami waived him on as she followed Kenshi through the double doors. Stepping across that threshold, the redhead found dozens of hardened eyes focused on him and his team. It was slightly unnerving.

"Hey Yurushi!" A far too familiar voice shouted. "You guys made it!"

Team Thriteen greeted Naruto as he broke away from the mass of Konoha genin standing near the entrance to the examination room. The group, for the most part, were a complete unknown to Yurushi. He had seen the faces before, and heard his cousin mention names in passing, but couldn't connect anything to anyone. Off to the side of the room, Neji stood and waited quietly with Lee and Tenten. Nods of greeting were exchanged between the stoic rivals.

"Who are those guys?" A wild looking kid with a puppy resting on his brown hair asked brazenly as the group migrated to see the newcomers.

"Hey Sakura, who're those guys?" A blonde kunoichi mumbled to her compatriot as Sakura whispered something back. "The one with the red hair. He's kinda cute, do you know who he is?"

"So Ino," Sakura spoke up with a victorious smirk, "are you giving up on Sasuke-kun then? Naruto's cousin is cute, nowhere near as great as Sasuke-kun, but I guess someone like you has to settle for someone."

"Not in your life forehead!" The Ino girl responded glaringly. Yurushi shrugged with indifference as the girls bickered. The dog toting teen was face to face with him now, sniffing the air around him. It took every ounce of will to keep from drawing his sword. '_This guy needs to back off,_' Yurushi thought as he tried not to react to the sudden closeness.

"Cousins huh?" The guy mused as he continued his investigation. "Well you do kinda smell the same. You don't look much like family though. I wonder if you're just as lame as Naruto is?"

"What was that Kiba?" Naruto growled back at the verbal jab.

"You guys are rookies just out of the Academy right?" A cool voice asked during the slight break in conversation. "Screaming like school girls, geez."

"Um, for the record," Kenshi offered the young man a deadpanned stare as he pointed to the genin of Team Thirteen, "we aren't rookies. We've been around for a while, so, don't lump us in with the newbies."

"Still," the man grinned as he adjusted his glasses. His gray hair was parted down the middle of his head. Most was tied into a low hanging ponytail while the rest freely fell over top his Konoha issued hitai-ate. "You're contributing to the situation. This isn't a picnic."

"What of it?" Sasuke asked curtly. "Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Kabuto," the purple clad man answered. "But instead of me, you should look behind you." Doing just that, everyone turned around. Yurushi could feel the heat in the air as dozens of teams tried to level as much mal intent as they could muster. The collective aura in the room shifted from unsettling to a tad frightening. The genin of Konoha were clearly the center of attention, and in the worst possible way. It seemed especially so with a particular trio of rough looking examinees. It was a bit odd to be lugging umbrellas around Konoha in this season, but the redhead figured that preparedness had its own advantages.

"Those guys there are from Amegakure," Kabuto leaned in a bit and clarified with hushed tones. "They have short tempers." Turning back around Yurushi gauged the man. He looked early to mid-twenties perhaps, far too old to be a genin for so long, and far too smug about still being there. That much put a red flag in his head. Yurushi knew that something was off about this guy. He looked far too confident to be retaking this exam for what must have been the umpteenth time.

"Well, I guess I can't blame you for acting so brash," he sighed contently. "You're clueless rookies after all. You remind me of how I used to be."

"Kabuto-san," Sakura interjected. "Is this your second time taking the exams?"

"Nope," Kabuto answered reaching into his hip pouch. "It's my seventh. The exam is held biannually so this is my fourth year taking it."

"Wow," Sakura gasped. "So you know a lot about the exam."

"Impressive," Naruto remarked. As impressed as his blond cousin was, Yurushi noted that Sasuke was far from awestruck by the genin addressing them.

"So, if you calm down a bit I'll share some info with you cute little rookies," Kabuto offered as he held up what looked to be a hand of playing cards. "These info cards should help give you an idea of how things work."

Yurushi noted as Sasuke perked up a little bit. Kenshi began to draw in a bit closer to the conversation, and Hanami followed suit. Information is a powerful weapon for a ninja, and even a rookie genin knew how invaluable it can be. Kabuto took a knee and pulled out a deck of the cards.

"How do these info cards work?" The pink haired genin questioned.

"Basically, they are cards that I burned data onto using chakra," Kabuto elaborated as he readjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "I have four years' worth of data and over two hundred cards."

Flipping one of the cards over, Yurushi almost scoffed. It was blank. Kabuto set a finger in the middle of the card and it began spinning. "It appears blank, but when I apply my chakra to the card it reveals the information that I am trying to pull up."

"Whoa, it's a really cool map!" Naruto pointed out once the image revealed itself.

"What is the graph about?" Kenshi asked.

"It's a diagram showing the number of participants on this year's exams." Kabuto enlightened the group. Yurushi looked around the room putting faces to the symbols engraved on hitai-ate.

His uneasy feeling about the man settled down considerably. He was no threat. For better or worse, he was just a habitual loser trying to impress his juniors. It was probably his only form of entertainment, seeing the fresh young faces of ambitious genin getting humbled as they learn how tough the ninja world is. He had lost seven times. It meant that either this guy was hopeless as a shinobi, or the test was ridiculously hard. Considering that the man had done his homework several times over, it was likely the later.

Yurushi noticed that one of Naruto's friends was off to the side with his own team. He had dark hair, pinned up in a high set ponytail. The blond girl, Ino, was pestering him ceaselessly and the guy tried not to show his rising frustration. His other teammate, a portly fellow who was oblivious to the world, scarfed down a bag of chips. The guy just sat there, looking every bit disinterested. Yurushi caught it though. Despite what his visible attitude would suggest, out of the corner of his eye the annoyed looking genin was paying close attention to what Kabuto was saying. Every single word was being registered for later use.

"My, my," Kabuto sounded slightly shocked and drew Yurushi's attention. "There is quite a crowd this year. One hundred and fifty three genin. Most of them from Konoha, some from Sunagakure and Amegakure, a few from Kusagakure, and one team from Otogakure. Things should be interesting this go 'round."

'_Otogakure,_' Yurushi pondered as he tried to search for the team from the mysterious village. He had never heard of that village before. Frankly, he didn't even know what country it was in. Yurushi had travelled all over, but this was news to him. Shinobi villages didn't just spring up overnight. Something serious had happened out in the great wide world, and he hoped that Katushiro-sensei was alright. Curiosity getting the better of him, Yurushi opened his mouth to ask about the village.

"What about information on individual shinobi?" Sasuke asked before he had a chance.

"Sure, I can do that," Kabuto asked with an eyebrow quirked.

"What do you have on Rock Lee of Konoha and Gaara of Suna," the Uchiha requested.

"You even know their names," the glasses wearing genin grinned as he drew two cards. "This should be pretty easy then."

The data card went from being blank to full in a brief moment. Each bore a small picture of the offending ninja in Sasuke's inquisition along with a graph detailing skills, mission history, and some various notes. All in all, Kabuto had gone to great lengths in creating his little data base. Yurushi decided that he may venture something similar if he didn't pass the exams this time.

"First up is Rock Lee," Kabuto began. Yurushi tuned the man out. He already knew what Lee was capable of, and there wasn't any information Kabuto could possibly have that would come as a surprise. Lee was good. Damn good, and anyone who had seen him in action since graduation could agree that he wasn't the same kid he had been. Scanning the room he found the symbol of Oto. A music note adorned by three genin across the room, and they were glaring at him.

One looked with barely restrained violence out of the corner of her eye. Her teammate did his best to level a death stare from behind his partner. Since only the top half of his face was visible, it wasn't too threatening. The other was hunched over. His back was covered in some furred looking material, and his face was wrapped in bandages with only the left eye viable. He seemed to be the most menacing of them all, but from here it was hard to tell. From where Yurushi stood, the guy just looked odd.

"The next is Gaara no Sabaku," Kabuto continued. Yurushi caught a glimpse of the picture on the card. Keeping his ear peeled to the conversation as he searched the crowd for the genin in question. Pale skin, auburn hair, and light sea foam colored eyes didn't create a picture of a desert dwelling shinobi. That gaze was unsettling. The teen looked on blankly, completely unfazed by the world around him. The aura he seemed to be exuding felt only like rage and bloodlust. It was like watching a sleeping predator. Things were calm now, but later, when the beast awoke, the story would change. Sasuke's interest seemed well founded, if only for survival's sake.

"Well, he's a newcomer from a foreign country, so I don't have anything solid on him. If these mission reports are to be believed he's completed eight C-ranked and one B-ranked mission, and he never got a single scratch on him." Kabuto looked unnerved about what he said. This Gaara character was not someone to be trifled with. Injured during mission or not, a genin performing a B-rank mission was unheard of.

"What about Otogakure?" Yurushi finally asked. "I've never heard of that village before."

"Yeah I was wondering about that too," Hanami chimed.

"Well, Otogakure is a small village that was just created last year." Kabuto explained. "I don't have much info on them or the team they sent. Villages only send their best talent to the Exams, and Otogakure only sent a single team. This could mean that team is their up and coming elites, or they are just too small to send anyone else."

"I bet they aren't that big of a deal," Kenshi declared looking completely at ease with his hands behind his head. "We've taken some ninja from a small village before, and they weren't any real trouble. Oto couldn't be that tough." Yurushi held his tongue. There was no real benefit in correcting Kenshi about how difficult the fight in Yokkaichi actually was; especially since he would counter with the fact that they had escaped no worse for wear.

"S-still, it can m-make you l-lose your c-confidence," a dark haired Hyūga stuttered. Yurushi wondered how close of a relation there was to Neji. She was main branch, judging by the lack of a juinjutsu on her brow. Hopefully the past year had eased Neji's feelings toward the main branch, but given how stubborn the guy was it wasn't likely.

"Yeah, everyone here is supposed to be the best of the best, and guys like Lee and Gaara are among the elites," the glasses wearing man began expounding upon the girls' growing fear. "This isn't going to be easy."

Yurushi caught a glance at his cousin. The kid was viably shaking. Given the situation Yurushi almost thought it was fear, almost. He knew Naruto better that that. Never once had he seen the blond show any amount of legitimate terror. The only thing he had ever expressed fear of was running out of ramen forever. That was it. There was no fear in Naruto. If anything, the kid was just relishing in the prospect of a challenge like this. Naruto had pulled up near the bottom of his class, and here he was in a room of elites. No, Naruto wasn't afraid, he was excited. The blond lived for this.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura said patting her teammates back. "Don't get so down."

'_She may have been his teammate for a while, but she doesn't know him the way I do,_' Yurushi smirked at the thought, '_not yet anyway._'

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond declared at the top of his lungs. Pointing to the crowds in front of him he continued, "I won't lose to any of you bastards! You got that!"

'_Every bit the braggart,_' Yurushi shook his head with a silent smile stretching across his face.

The blond looked ever so satisfied after his outburst. Sakura attacked him for making such a scene, and Naruto tried to reason his actions with her. It was too late for that. Naruto just put himself, and possibly everyone wearing a Konoha hitai-ate on the top of the short list to be taken down. The pink haired girl knew this and desperately pleaded with the now irate crowd. She was trying to play off Naruto's actions as meaningless trash talk. It wouldn't carry water though.

Kabuto shrugged. Kenshi elbowed Yurushi in the side giving his teammate his attention. "Hey, I'm gonna go hang out over by Lee and his team."

Yurushi nodded in understanding. His cousin had just made himself target number one for nearly every ninja in the room with that outburst.

"I like Naruto and all," the ninjatō wielding genin continued as he started making his way over to their classmates, "but I really don't want to get caught in the crossfire when people start takin' shots at him."

The air shifted. It was slight, but Yurushi could sense something in the room had changed. It wasn't just the stares and the glares and the hatred. This was different. Scanning the room, the team from Otogakure was no longer in their previous position. Scanning over the various faces in the room he noted that they were nowhere to be found at all. Yurushi deactivated a level from his training seal, just in case. Taking a moment to adjust himself to level two once more, Yurushi caught a glimpse. All three were now on the move with blazing speed. He couldn't tell who they were targeting, but he was going to be ready.

Leaping into the air one of the Oto genin made his attack. Black hair flying wildly, tan jacket taught atop tight muscles ready to strike, and gray camouflage pants spread wide. His hands let a pair of kunai fly toward Kenshi, but the swordsman had been paying attention. His teammate jumped back a hair to avoid the sharp metal and prepared to deal with the airborne assailant.

'The first attack is a diversion!' Yurushi mentally warned his friend through their communication seal.

Without further notice, Kenshi shifted his attention to the mummified looking ninja who had suddenly appeared in front of him. Yurushi got himself in prime position. He would need to move quickly if his teammate needed help, but so far Kenshi had it under control. '_Still,_' the redhead planned silently, '_I think I'll send a message that there are no pushovers here._'

Kenshi backpedaled quickly, but the mysterious Oto ninja closed the gap with equal haste. Rearing back, an arm was primed to strike. The sleeve withdrew revealing a strange looking metal armor. It had holes. Armor aught not have holes, which meant that whatever attack he was delivering had to have a trick to it. The arm swung for Kenshi's head, but the teenage swordsman ducked beneath it and lashed out with a double handed open palm strike to the chest.

There, after the strange ninja had been pushed off balance, Yurushi made his move. Burning across the room at blinding speeds he rushed toward the unnamed foe. Drawing his blade from his back, Yurushi let chakra flow into his favored weapon. Filling, molding, shaping, and honing the chakra in his sword so that the ethereal substance sheathed the blade in power. The wakizashi now had the full length of his katana. The lack of added weight was still something to get used to. Dashing just behind the enemy, Yurushi carefully and casually let only the tip of the sharpened chakra drag its way across the back of guy's neck. He never felt a thing.

Without ceasing he kept running and abruptly stopped once he reached the wall. Looking back over his left shoulder, everyone had their eyes set on him. Kenshi had doubled over, and looked to be struggling, trying to keep his breakfast down. Hanami had rushed to check on him. With a small flourish and a quite audible click, Yurushi returned his sword to its home. Murmurs were being passed around about how no one had seen him even move, and here he was clear across the room.

"I would think carefully about who you mess with," Yurushi warned sternly. "You never know when you run into someone who can back up all their talk until it's too late."

"I would say the same," the mummy returned calmly. "Insult my village again and I'll kill you. Test me on this and you'll see that _I_ am _not_ full of talk."

"Duly noted, but remember this," Yurushi focused as much killing intent as he could muster at the guy to make sure his point was crystal clear, "I held your life in my hands just now. If you ever attack my friends again, I might not give it back to you."

The three ninja from Otogakure silently regarded the promise and grudgingly returned to their little corner of the room. With the threat passed, Yurushi walked over to his team. Kenshi had successfully kept himself from puking all over the floor, but the sweat that had flooded from his forehead showed that avoiding such embarrassment took a great deal of effort. Hanami was still fretting over him, but the guy just smirked as Yurushi approached.

"Hey," Kenshi greeted.

"You alright?" the Uzumaki asked.

"Been better," the young blacksmith answered. "Gotta say, I wasn't really expecting the kind of attack that weirdo made. Whatever it was, it was pretty tricky."

"Can we just stop picking fights and focus on this exam now?" Hanami asked sounding perturbed.

"Umm, yeah, I'm good for now," Kenshi replied standing shakily.

* * *

Returning to the other side of the room was more than shameful. Tsuchi Kin couldn't stand being shown up by those punks from Konoha. They think themselves to be so high and mighty simply because they come from what is supposed to be the most powerful of the hidden villages. Their reliance on that assumption was nauseating. What was worse, everyone bought into it. Konoha wasn't better than anyone else. All they were doing was living on a centuries old reputation. If she had anything to say about it, Konoha would die on that reputation.

Who did that guy think he was anyway? He held Dosu's life in his hands? As if. She had seen what he did, sort of. He was blindingly fast. Little more than a blur at his slowest, but all he did was run across the room and play around with his sword. There was nothing special about that. He didn't actually do anything, and if he had tried then Dosu would have been able to counter it.

"Stop brooding Kin," Zaku told her quietly with a weathered stare.

"Shut up," Kin retaliated. She had to hold her own with these two. Kin knew what was going on, and she couldn't afford to look weak. Especially to her teammates. "I'm just trying to figure out what that pansy was doing just now."

"The fools were just putting on a brave face Kin," Dosu answered without turning around. "Konoha's time has come, and they know all know it. He was just propagating the lies that he's been fed. Nothing more."

That made sense to her. She had seen something similar frequently since becoming a genin of Otogakure. Along with her team, she had faced several enemies who foolishly thought they could overcome. They believed their own victory with such self-assured fervor, but it all ended the same. Kin, Zaku, and Dosu would walk over their corpse after their success was denied.

Such bravery was still quite admirable, however misguided. That redheaded swordsman was brave to make a move like that. It also showed the entire room that his speed was no joke. However, he gave away a huge advantage by revealing his abilities like that. Where was the payoff for doing something so grandiose? _If you ever attack my friends again_ was what he threatened to take action against.

He gave every ninja in the room a glimpse of what he was capable of just so people wouldn't mess with his friends? Dosu was right. Konoha was full of fools. If they were that devoted to their friends, then they deserved what was coming to them. Friendship was a liability. The rest of the ninja world understood this as fact, but Konoha didn't get it. The guy could have used his previously unknown speed as a way of getting the drop on people while they picked off his _friends_. If his comrades were worth their weight they would be able to hold their own until he did his job. If not, they were trash and not worth the effort.

Friends were a liability.

They got in the way, slowed you down, and made you vulnerable. As a ninja, none of those things were acceptable. The second you let your guard down was the second that you got cut down.

Still, there was something about the notion. It was quite charming in its own little way really. There was something appealing about being so devoted to someone that you would put yourself in harm's way to keep them safe.

The idea was foreign to her though. Her team was just a squad for the sake of completing missions. They were devoted to one another only as much the mission required. For now, the mission required that they all be alive. Beyond that, they couldn't care less about her. The feeling was quite mutual.

The room erupted in smoke causing her teammates to stop dead in their tracks. "Alright, listen up you maggots!" A grizzled voice bellowed through the smokescreen. "Stop playing grab ass with each other and get ready! The first test is about to begin."

"Finally," Dosu droned under his breath. Staring blankly at the back of the wrapped ninja, Kin focused her vision on something that hadn't been there a second ago. Right there on the nape of Dosu's neck was a small scratch, slowly bleeding. It was weeping plasma like tears drying in the eye. It was nothing major, just a scratch. To make such a cut without Dosu even noticing. The skill required was unthinkable.

That guy wasn't full of idle words after all.

'_He really did have a chance to kill Dosu,_' Kin was slightly aghast at the thought. '_I wonder, how far that self-righteous loser is willing to go when the chips are down?_'


	21. Making the Cut

**Chapter 21: Making the Cut**

"Patience and time do more than strength or passion." - Jean de La Fontaine

* * *

The room was warm. The couch was comfortable, but the air was thick and stifling. Nothing much could be done about it tough. Hayate could only wait. The chūnin assistant to the proctor of the first exam said that he would come and get the jōnin instructor of a team that failed, so anytime that door opened his heart would probably skip a beat. He really wanted his team to do well. They had grown so much over the past year and a half. They probably had the best chance of making it to the finals out of any team from Konoha.

Looking around the room he was amazed by the predominantly calm atmosphere that presided over it. It was quite the abnormality. Frankly, he had never seen anything like it before. Dozens of jōnin from various countries were gathered together, in the same room, and were not trying to kill each other. There wasn't even a hint of tension in the room. That is of course, with the exception of the nervous tension all of the teachers held to themselves while waiting to hear about their student's fates.

His ears were overloaded with all sorts of noises. There were low murmurs of idle conversation between comrades, inquisitive jabber between some perfect strangers wanting to learn more about other cultures, and the occasional outburst of laughter as busy friends reconnect. All of these sounds filled the room and Hayate soaked it all in. It really was quite the scene, and had he not been there to witness it the exhausted shinobi probably wouldn't believe it ever happened. Well, he would have believed it happened if the waiting room suddenly turned into a small warzone.

From his spot on a small couch in the corner of the room he could see a few other jōnin from Konoha. His contemporaries were just lounging, passing the time. Hatake Kakashi was reading his favorite little orange book. Yūhi Kurenai and Sarutobi Asuma were engaged in some quiet banter. Their genin teams were something of the who's who for the next generation. Their students included heirs to several key clans, the jinchūriki of the Kyūbi, and the last loyal member of the fabled Uchiha clan. If there was an A-list to the social life of the Konoha shinobi, these kids would make it.

Boisterous laughter filled the room, and Hayate followed it to the source. The jovial man in a green, spandex looking, body suit was walking his way. It was times like this he wished he looked incredibly busy. Hokage-sama managed to do it despite his somewhat notorious reputation for slipping out of his office to avoid his administrative duties. The reason for Hayate's desire had just made eye contact and was on a direct path to him. Maito Gai was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous ninja in the village. If he didn't beat you to death, he could certainly annoy you to death if you let him.

"Hayate-san!" The man addressed him as casually as the perplexing taijutsu master could. "I'm so glad I could speak with you here."

"Nice to see you again Gai-san," Hayate replied calmly with a cough.

"I'm going over to challenge my eternal rival, and I would think that you should join me in what will be a most youthful moment. After all, I can guarantee that we Sensei will be bragging about our students," the man offered with a smile and thumbs up.

"Sure, give me a minute," Hayate nodded as Gai took off.

Hayate sighed. He didn't do crowds very well. It wasn't that he was antisocial, but he just preferred the company of his own thoughts. If he engaged, he rather enjoyed the deep conversations between a few close friends. Ideally, Yūgao would be here. Her presence alone simply made everything better. Coughing again, he was grimly reminded that not _everything_ would be better.

A persistent cough was all that remained as evidence of his injury. The medical staff of Konohagakure, while one of the best in the world, wasn't able to undo all of the damage that he had suffered during his time Yokkaichi. One of the biggest problems he had, according to his doctor, was fluid buildup. This inability for his lungs to properly vacate fluid led to an acute form of bronchitis. He could use his own chakra to help open the passage ways and the medical staff even showed him a technique to muffle the sound of his own coughing. Unfortunately, none at the hospital had the skill to permanently fix the problem, and so he would just have to learn to live with it and hope it cured in time.

Hokage-sama had informed him that as long as the condition existed it would eliminate him from any future position in ANBU, but Hayate had already accepted that as reality. Being a regular jōnin wasn't too bad. It wasn't what he wanted, but he had discovered that teaching had its own rewards. If he succeeded in leading this team to the upper ranks, then perhaps he could take on another. His team of genin had really grown on him. Watching them progress and being a part of their development as outstanding shinobi gave birth to a wellspring of pride in his heart.

Alternatively, if he still felt dead set on ANBU there was a small chance that the Sannin Tsunade could cure him of his chronic ailments. The problem was that the woman wanted nothing to do with the village anymore. She left decades ago, sometime after her lover had died. Hokage-sama was the only reason she wasn't labeled as a nukenin. Rumor had it that there had been an agreement between the two in which she agreed to never leave the country unless she informed the Hokage of her exact movements.

The woman, as far as anyone knew, had never left the country. Hi no Kuni was vast. Geographically it was one of the largest nations in the world. The woman could easily vanish from the face of the earth just by lying low in her proverbial backyard. The nation was such an undiscovered wilderness that reports would leak out of an occasional ANBU squad stumbling upon one of Orochimaru's abandoned laboratories. It was honestly a wonder that enemies of Konohagakure hadn't already set up shop inside the expansive borders. If they had, it wouldn't surprise him.

Standing up before thoughts of the potential threat could consume his brain, Hayate began walking toward his fellow Sensei. The door slid open and Hayate, along with everyone in the room, turned to see who had entered. The chūnin messenger became visibly nervous with all the pairs of eyes focused on him so intently. The chūnin turned to the left and walked in opposite direction that the tired jōnin stood. '_They're still in it. They haven't gotten eliminated yet,_' Hayate assured himself.

When he turned back he proceeded to walk toward the other jōnin of Konoha. He didn't know any of them on a personal level, but he was very familiar with them and their growing legends. All of them had fearsome reputations on the battlefield, and it was likely to become true for each of their students as well. As the swordsman drew near Kakashi casually waved to him without looking up from his book. "Yo," the man greeted.

"Hayate-san," Asuma nodded in greeting after lighting a cigarette.

"Hey," Hayate returned with a cough. "What's going on?"

"Not much," Kakashi answered with the flip of a page.

"They were just explaining to Kurenai-san the methods that Ibiki might use to test our genin and the flames of their youth!" Gai yelled.

"Right," Kakashi droned. "Anyways, are you still going to be the proctor of the final round of the exam Hayate?"

"How did you know?" That information wasn't exactly public knowledge. Not that it hurt anything for the masked ninja to know, but the identities of the proctors were supposed to remain secret. Shrugging it off as Kakashi being snoopy, like he always is, Hayate didn't follow up his question. "I'll only be the proctor if my team doesn't advance. If my genin make that far, then it'll be someone else."

"So," Kurenai eased herself into conversation, "do you know what the other proctors have planned?"

Hayate shook his head. "Hokage-sama didn't include me in the overall planning and prep work because I have genin participating. I am just as in the dark as you. Hokage-sama didn't want to project the image of my team being given an unfair advantage."

"Well that makes sense," Kurenai chimed in, "it's only fair after all."

The door to the room opened and the collective breath of the occupants was held for a brief minute as the chūnin identified the Sensei of the eliminated team. Once the jōnin was found, a middle aged woman from Amegakure, Hayate turned back around to rejoin the conversation at hand. Gai took a seat on the couch next to Kakashi and began to stare at his _eternal rival_. Kakashi on the other hand, was trying _not_ to look at the man wearing a form fitting body suit. '_This is awkward,_' Hayate looked at the scene uncertain of what to do.

"Kakashi," Gai suddenly called out to his rival with a sly look on his face. "I challenge you to a contest of skill. This one will be different than before though. This time our challenge will be a contest between our genin teams."

"Yeah," Kakashi continued reading his book undaunted, "Asuma already said he was starting a betting pool, so let's just go with that."

"Excellent!" Gai mirthfully exclaimed. "All of our comrades will be joining us in this youthful competition to see who the better Sensei is."

"Um, sure," the cycloptic ninja answered, likely hoping that Gai's exuberance would drop down a level or two. Ideally it would be toned down five times over, but that wasn't exactly realistic.

"Speaking of which," Asuma cut in after taking a drag from his favored tobacco product, "Hayate, you and Gai are more than welcome to go in on the pool if you want."

"Sure," Hayate answered. The entire room fell silent again when a proctor entered and left with group of jōnin whose teams had just failed. A few teams from Konoha were eliminated, one from Sunagakure, and a team from Takigakure as well. The crowd was being thinned out. Whatever Ibiki had planned was starting to weed out the group of genin in droves.

"Alright," Asuma got his attention once the proctor left. "This is how it works. The buy in is one thousand ryō."

"That's kind of steep isn't it?" Kurenai asked concerning while cutting a few worried glances his way. Hayate wanted to roll his eyes in protest. Her concern was well founded, and probably sincere, but not necessary. He had only told two people about his plans, and only because they were close to Yūgao. Obviously, given the worried leering of the genjutsu mistress, secrets weren't well kept. '_Trust a Yamanaka to keep their mouth shut,_' Hayate put up a hand to object.

"It's no problem Kurenai," Hayate pulled out the appropriate legal tender and handed it to the smoking jōnin. Gai did the same. "How do we win?"

He had saved his money for the upcoming special occasion, so losing some money on this little bet wouldn't be that big of a deal. The ring that he had purchased was exactly what Yūgao would love. It was nothing too flashy, entirely sentimental, and easily concealed under her ANBU standard gloves. Hayate had no doubt that she would love the ring, but he was still a little nervous about her saying yes. He sighed a bit, '_I guess I shouldn't be too worried about it. She loves me, and I love her. She'll say yes. I just need the right time to ask._'

"Alright, here are the rules," Asuma leaned forward from his relaxed position. "We all go around and name off the genin in our squads that we think will make it to the final round. The one who gets it right is the winner. Tie breakers will be determined by whether or not the advancing students get a promotion, and if we need a tie breaker after that then the winner goes to the Sensei whose student went the furthest in the tournament."

"How does that work," Kurenai inquired. "They will be advancing to the final round in teams won't they? If they go in as a team, then why would we guess how many would make it to the finals?"

"We don't know the exact details about how the second round works yet," Hayate choked out. "We know that it's the mission themed exam, but for all we know the proctor could split the genin up and have teams formed at random."

"Anko never really seemed the type to put that much work into something. Her exam should be pretty straight forward," Kakashi mused from behind his book.

"Alright," Hayate looked incredulously at the man. It was ridiculous how many secrets that man was able to attain with such little effort. It wasn't like he suspected Kakashi of foul play or giving his kids an unfair advantage, but the information about the Exams was kept classified to prevent the Sensei of the home town participants from gaining insight and making other villages angry at the host. "Even I didn't know who the proctor for the second round, and I was supposed to be working in conjunction with them in case we needed to have a preliminary to the final round."

"Really?" Kakashi turned from his book and seemed a little surprised. "Are you expecting a preliminary this year? That would be another reason a whole team wouldn't make it to the finals Kurenai."

"It's a possibility," he answered trying to clear his throat, "and to be honest I'm expecting one. This is one of the largest Chūnin Exams we've had in years, and to top it off there are all kinds of top tier genin at this thing."

"This is great news!" Gai excitedly declared. "With so many youthful contestants this will be just the kind of challenge that my students need to drive their spirits further in the power of youth."

"Who do you have info on?" Asuma asked eager to get some extra intel on who his team needed to watch out for.

"Well," Hayate scanned the room as the door slid open again. The proctor didn't walk in their direction, but pulled out several teams from Konoha and one more from Taki. Ibiki didn't play favorites. His brand of torture was always equal opportunity. Seeing his first example he continued to explain. "See that guy over there, Suna hitai-ate, tall, dark skin, red markings around the right eye, with the turban like wrap over his face? That is Nakata Baki, and I've heard that his genin are the children of the current Kazekage."

"Anyone else?" Kurenai looked intrigued. They wanted to know, just in case their students did make it to the final round and they had to square off against someone of note. At least they could give their charges some sort of game plan or strategy. It was sort of amusing at how the instincts of a Jōnin Sensei were so closely mirrored to the actions of a parent. Their charges were the closest thing to having children that any of them had experienced, and it was their duty to prepare their children to overcome any challenge.

"I don't know what they look like off hand, but there is a kunoichi from Kusa and she has a genin on her team that could potentially be the most powerful sensory type ninja in the world. Rumor has it that the kid can detect chakra so precisely that they know when someone is lying just by detecting the minute shifts in a person's chakra. Then, there is this team from Otogakure."

"What makes them so special?" Gai asked growing slightly concerned.

"Well," Hayate coughed, "they are the only team that is representing their village this year. Oto is a new village, pretty much unheard of until recently, but this team is comprised of the three best genin they have to offer."

"How can you tell?" Asuma asked exhaling a nice trail of smoke.

"It's pretty easy," Kakashi interjected, "Oto is new, and probably small, so they are sending the best genin they have to show off how strong they are. Even if just one of them gets into the finals, Otogakure gains an immediate group of clientele simply because they could hold their own against more well established villages after only one year of existence. It's a matter of quality over quantity. The payoff is huge if it works."

The room was quickly engulfed in silence as the chūnin reentered grabbing a few more jōnin before exiting. Hayate wasn't too worried anymore. His team was well prepared. If they didn't get kicked out early, then they weren't going out easy. Still, there was always the chance that something could go wrong. With Ibiki at the helm, this test would be taxing on all of the genin. He would get inside their heads and twist their mind until he has each and every one wrapped around is finger. There was no one that Ibiki could not break. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, it didn't matter how much of a resistance you had in any of those categories. Ibiki cold find the weakness and exploit it until his victim completely broke down. In the realm of torture and interrogation, there was no one better. For him, genin would be a walk in the park. Hayate hoped that he didn't go too rough on the students, but decided not to hold his breath.

"I'll go first," Asuma said once the door to the room closed. "I honestly don't think any of my team will make it to the final round."

"Asuma!" Kurenai chided gently. "You should have some faith in your students."

"Meh," the man shrugged in reply. "It's not that I don't want them to do well, or think that they're incapable. I just think they won't make it. Yamanaka Ino is a capable kunoichi, but her skills are more subtle and not entirely combat oriented. If she gets into a fight during the second round, then it could cost her. Akimichi Chōji has the makings of a real powerhouse, but he doesn't have the heart to actually fight. He takes his cues from Nara Shikamaru, and that kid is a lazy little bastard. I swear I haven't ever seen anyone work so hard at doing as little as possible."

"So, um, how does this work if you wind up being right?" Kakashi peeked out from behind his book to look Asuma in the eye. "Because if that happens, and you win, then I want my money back."

"How about this," he started scratching at his beard trying to come up with a solution. "I win if nobody else gets their predictions right or if none of the genin that were predicted to go to the finals get promoted."

"I can live with that," Kakashi accepted as he returned his attentions to reading.

"I wouldn't put it against my kids to go all the way just to spite me," Asuma continued. "Shikamaru can be pretty capable when he needs to be, and is kind of the team leader when the chips are down. The question really is how far he thinks he needs to advance without getting an earful from his mom. Knowing him, I say the second round. Ever since catching hell from his mom about being dead last in the Academy Shikamaru likes to live in the middle of the pack."

"Well," Kurenai spoke up. "I believe that one of my students will make it to the finals. Aburame Shino is perhaps one of the most talented genin of his generation. It's a shame really, because he is entirely overlooked."

"Don't you have a Hyūga and an Inuzaka on your team?" Gai seemed puzzled. "I have seen their fighting styles and they produce most youthful shinobi."

"I do," the red eyed woman confirmed. "Inuzaka Kiba, while skilled, is brash and hot headed. If he doesn't remain in control of a situation then he tends to stop thinking and start relying on instinct, and he doesn't often stay in control. Hyūga Hinata is an incredibly talented kunoichi. I have watched over her for years now, and she has the potential to become an elite jōnin, but she lacks confidence. She's far too timid, and even though I have tried my best to help her overcome that, I don't think I succeeded. For her sake, I hope I lose this bet because of her. Getting to the finals will really help her self-confidence."

"Alright Kakashi listen up!" Gai turned to his rival with a smile. "I hereby declare that all three of my genin students will make it to the finals. If I am wrong then I will climb to the top of the stone faces in under two hours without using chakra."

Hayate coughed back a laugh. "That isn't all that hard. Civilians can get to the top in less than an hour. That stair case makes that really easy Gai."

"Oh, he wasn't taking the stairs," Kakashi mused. "He was going to scale the cliff."

"That's correct, and if I cannot do that then I will do five thousand pushups on one finger," Gai held his index finger aloft.

"Is that even possible?" Hayate made a mental not that he really needed to find a more sane social circle if Gai was going to always be around.

"Well, five thousand is a _little_ excessive for him, but that's the point," Kakashi had to have been subject to this man for countless years. He was far too casual about the rantings and ravings of his fellow jōnin.

"And if I cannot do that," Gai had apparently not stopped listing off his personal challenges during the sidebar conversation, "I will stand upside down on my nose for thirty minutes!"

"Okay," Asuma cut in as he put out his cigarette, "I have to stop you there Gai. That doesn't seem physically possible."

"You're right it doesn't," Gai smiled brightly. "My personal record is only nine minutes and twenty seven seconds. Still, I must push myself to the limits or the flames of my youth will be extinguished."

"Wait, you can actually stand upside down on your nose?" The bearded jōnin looked beside himself. Frankly, they all were. How was he able to do that? Everyone knew that Gai had the physical prowess of twenty men, but standing upside down on his nose was simply ludicrous.

"It's theoretically possible. Channel chakra into the nose so it can support the weight and from there it's just a matter of balance," Kurenai explained slowly. She was obviously stretching herself just to make Gai seem less crazy than he really was.

"You are correct," Gai confirmed. "Even my genin were able to accomplish the feat at least for the briefest of moments. Neji was even able to maintain it for a full minute and eighteen seconds."

"Hyūga Neji is on your team?" Kurenai asked.

"Indeed he is," Gai beamed with pride. "He is the prodigy of the Hyūga clan and I would say that he has the greatest chance of winning the tournament. His mastery of the Jūken and the Byakugan goes far beyond his meager age. The flames of his youth burn brightly as he is already considered one of the best practitioners of the clan's unique style of taijutsu. It has been a great deal of fun training him."

"What makes you so confident," Hayate coughed some more and was forced to collect his breath. "Sorry, what makes you so confident in your other two students? From what I saw Lee is incredibly skilled, but I don't know about the girl on your team."

"Tenten is the best marksman out of any genin in this village," Gai bragged. "I have never once seen her miss her mark, and the only times she doesn't hit her target are because her opponent blocks the weapon. She is also well versed in a variety of weapons, and has a particular gift with all sorts of storage seals. I have no doubt that she will be able to rise to any challenge that the exams can produce."

"I see," Hayate thought. It has been a while since the village could claim to have a true weapons master. Most shinobi focus only on one or two types of weapons, a handful were able to become dangerous with five or more, but mastery would far from describe their ability with any of their preferred instruments of death. Hayate felt as though he had mastered his katana, and could probably be effective with just about any comparable blade, and had taught his students that the claim of mastery came when you could overcome any natural disadvantages that come with their style. Being able to cover your own weaknesses was the mark of a master.

"Lee is my prize student," Gai declared. "He has applied himself to each of my lessons with diligence and hard work. He has no talent with ninjutsu or genjutsu, but his desire to prove his worth as a shinobi that can only use taijutsu will drive him to greatness. Lee never gives up. If he fails a thousand times he tries a thousand and one. He is a true genius of hard work, and that is why I know that he will make it to the finals."

"A ninja with no ninjutsu or genjutsu," Asuma was lost in the thought. "I think I've heard it all now. I hope you're right about that kid Gai, because if you aren't he could get hurt out there."

"I have prepared Lee to fight against all of the setbacks he will face," Gai explained.

"I guess it's my turn," Kakashi snapped his book closed. "I will say that two of my genin will make it to the finals."

"Which ones?" Asuma asked.

"I bet I know," Kurenai grinned, "Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke right?"

"Close," Kurenai corrected, "but not quite. Uchiha Sasuke will make it to the finals. As far as skill goes, he's the real deal. It's been a long time since I've seen anyone that young with that much skill. He almost reminds me of his brother to be honest, and that is part of the problem. The kid has only used his brother to compare himself to. Itachi's rise in the ranks wasn't just because he was a genius. A lot of it was due to our lack of military personnel after the war ended. We needed gifted ninja in positions of leadership and Itachi helped. None of that matters to Sasuke though. His skill isn't at the same level as his brother, and he takes it a little personally."

"Are you worried he'll go off the deep end like Itachi?" Asuma asked as he relaxed back into the couch he was sitting on.

"Not really," Kakashi waved off the idea. "He has an axe to grind, but he doesn't want to follow in his brother's footsteps in any shape or form."

"Why not Sakura?" Kurenai asked. "She was the top kunoichi in the graduating class. Why do you think she won't make it?"

"She has a lot of book smarts and more subtle skills, but combat is beyond her right now," Kakashi answered. "I taught her taijutsu and she took to it well enough. She could handle her own if she wanted to, but she doesn't have the size, strength, or fortitude for prolonged fights. She would need supplemental skills, but she doesn't have the chakra reserves for heavy hitting ninjutsu. She needs a few years before she would be able to start any sort of elemental transformations."

"Why not teach her genjutsu?" The woman asked. To Hayate it almost seemed as though Kakashi had neglected to teach the girl much of anything, but it would have been stupid to insist so emphatically that his team was ready.

"I taught her everything I could about the art," Kakashi lamented, "which isn't much. She knows how to spot and dispel genjutsu, and how she can create her own, but she didn't seem too interested. Not much of an imagination on that one. Besides, I really don't know much about genjutsu that doesn't involve the Sharingan so I'm a little out of my element teaching it. After she becomes a chūnin I plan on recommending her for the Iryō Butai. She has the skills for it, but just in case, I'd like your help teaching her some more genjutsu if you don't mind Kurenai."

"Sure," the dark haired woman smiled gently. "After the exams I'll try to work out some time where I can join you for a training session."

"So, you think that Uzumaki Naruto will advance and Sakura won't?" Hayate asked after coughing lightly. He was curious. Yurushi thought very highly of his cousin, but the blond didn't have the best of reputations.

"Yep," Kakashi's right eye closed in a facial gesture that could only be described as a smile. Or that's what Hayate assumed since the rest of the man's face was covered. "Naruto is one big bundle of unpredictable energy. The only thing that I don't think he can do is quit. In fact I don't think Naruto would give up if it meant he would become Hokage for doing so. He loves to do stuff the hard way, but that could be something that keeps him from making it. Still, with that boy you never really know."

The door slid open again, and every head turned to look at the chūnin as he walked in. The guy grew a little more confident with repetition. There wasn't any hint of nervousness in his stride, but he was walking toward their group. Hayate prayed to Kami that he would turn or detract or weave away to talk to someone else, but he kept moving forward. The man looked like he was making eye contact with him. Hayate was about to stand in dreaded recognition that this visit was for him, but the chūnin stopped and spoke with another jōnin from Konoha who had been waiting nearby. Hayate found himself breathing deeply.

"So how about you Hayate?" Gai asked eagerly awaiting the answer. "Which of your students lets the fires of youth burn bright enough to lead them to the final round?"

"I think that one of my students will advance to the final round and is a true contender to win the tournament," he replied.

"Why not the other two?" Kakashi questioned. "They all seemed to be pretty capable from their mission profiles."

"You read their mission profiles?" Kakashi's snooping was a little off putting. The mission profile of a genin was nothing too sensitive, but sometimes there could be information that was only meant for top brass. Kakashi had _technically_ relinquished his status of being privy to all things classified when he left ANBU, but that obviously hadn't stopped him yet. Clearly, the Hokage hadn't stopped him either.

"Sure," Kakashi shrugged. "I read everyone's mission profiles. That little scandal about Chōji eating some of the fruit growing in a client's orchard was pretty hilarious."

"I told that kid they were off limits," Asuma groaned with a healthy dose of embarrassment. "He'll never live that down of any of his former classmates found that out."

"Oh his secret is safe with me," Kakashi smiled. "So, what about the Muramasa boy?"

"Kenshi is a good kid, disciplined, ambitious, and pretty skilled," Hayate elaborated through a serious of coughs. "He just doesn't have enough in his arsenal to stand above the rest. His kenjutsu is excellent for his age, and I'll pass on my techniques to him as soon as he can learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, but he isn't ready for that yet. His style of kenjutsu is defensive and reactionary, and that can make him predictable. He thrives in the team, and if Anko leaves the teams intact for her exam, then I have no doubt he will at least get to a preliminary round. After that, then I'm not sure how he'll do."

"And what of Tenten's friend, um," Gai struggled to recall her name.

"Hanami, Yukimura Hanami," Hayate filled in the blank. "She is an incredible kunoichi, and takes after her father without a doubt."

"Hmm," Asuma nodded in agreement. "I remember him. Good ninja. I remember the Uchiha getting nervous about him becoming _the ninja_ for Katon ninjutsu. Some worried his techniques would make theirs look like fire crackers."

"She has the same potential, and perhaps, could be even greater than her father," Hayate expounded. "The only thing that is holding her back is herself. Anxiety seems to plague her and in pressure situations she doesn't always react well. She had been making solid progress until recently. There was a mission that went south and she was a victim of a hostage type situation."

"Mhmm," Kakashi hummed in understanding. "Getting captured by a crazy cultist as he tries to kill people in some sort of ritual does have a negative effect on the psyche. Maybe you should have her see a therapist about that."

"I had Yūgao speak with her about the situation. She gave the whole team a basic ANBU psych eval, and Hokage-sama had her speak with a trauma councilor. All of the results seemed to show that Hanami was okay but I don't really know how much any of it helped," Hayate sighed. That mission was nothing but frustration. A rogue ninja from a small village had an axe to grind against him, and after a decade since their last interaction with each other the guy finally made a move. Hayate hated that he had gotten his genin students wrapped up in a grudge match that he had no idea he was a part of.

Still, his team had pulled together and made it through an incredibly difficult situation. Hanami was able to learn a valuable lesson in that her comrades would never abandon her. At least, Hayate hoped that she learned that. Kenshi was able to find a new level of teamwork and became the heart and soul of the squad. The boy managed to thrust the group past whatever held them back, and for the most part, was able to help his friends cope with the blood that covered their hands. Yurushi evolved further as a leader. He became much more confident in his ability to take charge of a situation for the simple fact that he didn't want his friends to be hurt because of his own mistakes. All in all, it was a growing experience for the team.

Trial by fire is typically the status quo for all genin, and the trials are always pass or burn.

"So," Asuma kicked up his legs and started to settle in, "what makes this Uzumaki Yurushi that I keep hearing about so special?"

"Well," Hayate grinned. "I have yet to find something that he can't excel in. His kenjutsu is something that he learned from a young age. It is largely based in Iaidō, the same style of the samurai, and he is getting to the point where I have to get a little serious when I spar with him. Though he doesn't have much in the way of ninjutsu, it will be developing rapidly. I began teaching my team the basics of nature transformations, and he seems to be catching on. The most interesting thing about him is the level of fūinjutsu that he is capable of."

"Wow," Asuma whistled. "Fūinjutsu as a genin is pretty impressive. I'm a bit surprised that you don't think your team will make a clean sweep if you already have them starting nature transformation exercises. That's pretty chakra intensive stuff."

"Well, they are only on the earliest stages right now," Hayate clarified. "It'll take a couple years before they really start to master it, but since Hanami already knows some Katon techniques I figured I'd get the whole team started. If only so the other two can catch up with her."

"And how are they handling the training?" Kurenai asked, possibly trying to gauge whether or not her team would be capable of the feat.

"Um, it's a learning process," Hayate admitted bashfully. "Hanami is progressing nicely, but I suspect her father is helping her. It has been slow goings for the other two."

"Alright," Asuma sat up straight again taking out a note pad and a pencil, "let me see if I have this down right. I have no one from my squad because I think they are lazy bums, Kurenai thinks Shino will get to the finals, Gai believes his whole squad will make it,"

"Yes!" Gai boisterously interrupted. "My students burn with the power of youth!"

"Yeah, um, okay," Asuma gawked for a moment at the display, "Kakashi thinks that Sasuke and Naruto will go to the finals, and Hayate is betting on Yurushi. Do I have that all down right?"

Nods of affirmation went around the group of jōnin. It should be a pretty interesting Chūnin Exams simply from the types of participants that were present. It had already shaped up to be the biggest collection of leaders and powerhouses of the next generation, but how much of that was hype? Separating the names and legacy from those with true skill was what these tests were all about. It was a chance to show off the pride of a village, and discover who amongst the younger ninja had great potential. Sometimes, a village was able to discover a talent that had been overlooked in the academy system. It was a chance for students to rewrite the book on their earliest professional evaluations. Hopefully, the genin of Konoha would not disappoint.

"Okay," Asuma pocketed his note pad. "So if you guess right and your genin make it to the finals, then the deciding factors will be promotions and then wins in the tournament. If one of our students wins the final tournament and doesn't get promoted, but someone else's student makes chūnin the winner goes to the one who gets promoted. If there are multiple promotions, then we'll go back to how the kids placed in the tournament. If we still have a tie, then you split the winnings. Are we good with that?"

No objections on Hayate's part. It was all in good fun anyway. A little extra cash would be nice though. The brain underneath the bandana tried to imagine ways he could make that money go for a really nice date with Yūgao.

"I assume that sabotaging our genin during a prelim would be frowned upon," Kakashi wondered aloud.

"Of course it would be Kakashi," Kurenai reprimanded with a little vitriol in her voice. "Why would you even think about doing something like that? If your genin has a chance to advance you should give them all the advice that you can to help them do so, even if you lose the bet."

"Just wanting to be sure," Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. Well, it was assumed to be a smile indicating that the guy was joking around. There wasn't really any other facial description that Hayate had to go by from the silver haired jōnin. Honestly, if you didn't have any history with Hatake Kakashi then he would simply be impossible to read.

Scanning the crowd, Hayate took in the calm of the room. The assistant proctor hadn't recalled anyone for a while, which could only mean that the exam was nearing the end. This was good. His team could very well pull it off. Hayate wondered how they were fairing. Was the test difficult for them? Did it catch them unprepared? Was it beyond their skill? All of these questions could only be answered by the proctor collecting him after their failure or announcing that the exam was over. Though he tried to relax, Hayate was on the edge of his seat.

One jōnin caught his glance. He was a decently tall man, with long black hair set in a ponytail. His face was one of dismissive indifference, but he kept cutting glances back in his direction. The dark colored clothing, and the black jōnin vest made him seem to be no different than the rest of the ninja in the room. It was the hitai-ate that rested on his brow that made the man stand out. The symbol was that of a single music note. This was the jōnin from the mysterious Otogakure.

He seemed innocent enough, but he was from a new village. He had an agenda. He had something to prove. The man wouldn't try anything brazen, but would have no qualms making a display if the opportunity arose. He was the only representative of his village. He along with his genin squad were the only proof of the existence of the village, and the only show of its strength. Somehow, someway, they planned on making a name for their village. Hayate hoped that it was through legitimate means such as performance in the exams and rubbing elbows with nobles. Hayate would not let his hopes rule out his rising suspicion.

Their eyes met briefly. Hayate narrowed his gaze, and the jōnin mirrored the action. The opposing ninja smirked wickedly before diverting his attention elsewhere. The message they sent to one another was unspoken, but well received. Hayate had wordlessly warned the Oto shinobi that he was being watched, and closely. The mysterious jōnin had responded that he was ready for action, and could finish whatever was started. '_I won't start anything if you don't force my hand_,' Hayate thought as he left the man alone for the moment. '_But if I have to act, then I guarantee that you won't be walking away._'

The door to the room slid open and the chūnin proctor stepped in. The man cleared his throat before addressing the room. "If I can have your attention," he said with authority. "I am pleased to inform you that all of your teams have passed the first round of exams. If you will please follow me I will lead you to the waiting area for the second round of exams."

"Well," Kakashi rose, "I guess we all made it."

"Of course we did Kakashi," Gai elated. "Our students have the power of youth burning within them. They will overcome any obstacle!"

"Nevertheless," Hayate coughed as he rose to follow his fellow ninja, "It only gets more interesting from here on out."

"Yeah," Asuma said as he stuck an unlit cigarette in his mouth. "I just hope we get to watch this time."

Going through the door to the room Hayate couldn't help but agree. He wanted to watch, but even if that option was available he wouldn't get to do so. He had to prepare for the third round of exams. He turned to the left, away from the group. The Hokage was waiting for him with instructions. Work came first. Even though his genin were his most important duty, there were other tasks that he needed to accomplish. All he could do for his students now was wait patiently and wish them luck.

Hopefully, they wouldn't need too much of that.


	22. Making Promises

**Chapter 22: Making Promises**

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival." - C.S. Lewis

* * *

The forest was old. Danger was thick in the air, and even the leaves on the trees looked threatening. It had been nearly twenty minutes since the gates had opened and Yurushi hadn't felt at ease in this place since stepping foot inside the fence. There was a reason this training field looked like a quarantine zone, and he really didn't want to find out why. The proctor, Mitarashi Anko, had suggested that simply surviving in this forest was a challenge. Something that even chūnin wouldn't take up lightly. Now here he was, leaping through the lower canopy with his team as they were on the hunt; or being hunted.

The trees were tall. Many of them had trunks that ran ten meters across and branches that threatened to touch the heavens. A shift in the upper canopy caught his attention as Yurushi called for his team to stop. Studying the space between the thick, hanging, moss he could see movement. There was a wet sounding noise as well, but he couldn't make out what the cause was.

"What is it?" Kenshi whispered as he tried to peer through the foliage.

Suddenly something dropped to the forest floor. It was a mottled brown color, wiggling and worming through the air. Finally, it landed on what was an otherwise unsuspecting squirrel. The small rodent struggled violently, but briefly, as life was drained from its now twitching body.

"Leeches," Yurushi answered and pointed in a new direction that would avoid a personal encounter with the parasites.

Marching on, the troop kept their wits about them. This place was no joke. Everything seemed to be bred for the sole purpose of surviving. The only way to survive in a place as brutal as this was to kill before something else killed you. This was the nature of their test as well. Capturing a scroll was not simply a matter of out witting an opponent, but ensuring that they were no longer a threat to be encountered later. Even if the opposing squad had a scroll they didn't need, they were still a threat. Not even a team from Konoha could be fully trusted. Team Thirteen was on their own.

This didn't mean that Yurushi would take such drastic extremes. No, if he ran into another team from Konoha, especially Neji's or Naruto's then a truce would be proposed. In fact, he really hoped he could merge forces with someone. It would make the prospect of acquiring a scroll easier. That was a long term goal though. Right now, the only thing on his mind was setting up camp and preparing for the long haul. They had five days to get a scroll and make it to the center of the forest. Five days in a place like this would be an eternity. Rest wouldn't come easy for any of them.

'_Is this why Hayate-sensei doesn't sleep well,_' Yurushi asked himself. '_Is it because he is always watching out for a sneak attack while he's vulnerable?_'

Then the redhead saw something that he felt would work out well. Signaling his team to follow, he dropped to the earth below and crept closer to his destination. Doubling back around, he led the group to check out his inquiry. Climbing over the large exposed roots of a giant tree was more of a challenge than he thought. The base of the root line was meters above the ground, and it seemed that nothing could penetrate the tangled bottoms of the tree. Facing the west, back toward the barbed fence, Yurushi found a small clearing.

There wasn't much space to work with in the clearing. Fifteen meters in diameter perhaps, and that was being generous, but that was more than enough for their purposes. On the edge of the clearing was the great tree they had crawled around. Its mighty roots parted and created a hovel underneath the trunk. The space beneath wasn't much. There was enough for two people to sleep comfortably, and for the three of them it would work. It was perfect.

"Um, Yurushi," Hanami sounded confused. "Are you sure this is a good spot? There isn't any water around here, and the trees are pretty thick in the area. It would be pretty easy to sneak up on us in a place like this."

"Aw, come on Hanami," Kenshi brushed off her concerns. "Yurushi survived on the road with a samurai for years before coming to Konoha. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

"If you say so Kenshi-kun," Hanami relented, although still doubtful in her tone.

"We don't want to be too close to water," Yurushi began to explain. "That is the first place others will go, and the first place they would look for us. This tree has a place where we can take shelter from the weather, and we can build a fire without much fear of giving away our position. Our camp faces west, away from most of the forest, and the thick trees will block most of the firelight."

"What about ambush?" Hanami asked. "There are a lot of places to hide around here. Sneaking up couldn't be too hard."

"Isn't that what you're here for?" Kenshi questioned scratching his chin. "You are a sensor after all, so you should be able to let us know if someone is sneaking up on us right?"

"Well, um, ah," Hanami stuttered. "My range isn't much better than it was a month ago. Besides, if I'm sleeping then I won't be much help anyway."

"Yeah, I guess so," Kenshi admitted. "Well, I'm going to go scout around and see if I can find us some water nearby."

"Wait," Yurushi commanded as he set down his pack against the base of the tree. Fishing through it he found a particular scroll that he had been working feverishly on since he had completed the team's communication seal. This one was ready, but needed a few finishing touches.

Unfurling it revealed the impressive array of symbols, characters, and kanji spelled out in dried ink. His teammates marveled at the work, but Yurushi drew out a kunai and slashed his palm. It was nothing too deep or debilitating, but just enough to reopen old wounds and coat the skin in blood. Pressing his hand against the scroll he channeled his chakra into the paper and wrote his name by the hand print. Once he was done he urged his friends to do the same in the spaces dedicated for their handprint and name.

Kenshi shrugged, but did so without complaint or questioning. Yurushi hadn't stopped and thought much about it lately, but Kenshi was his best friend. No doubts ever emerged about that fact, or anything else that the brown haired swordsman said or did. They trusted each other wholeheartedly, and nothing would change that. Once the young Muramasa boy was done, he motioned for Hanami to step up and take her turn. As she sat down in front of the scroll, Kenshi turned to leave.

"Be careful out there," Hanami said before their teammate took off.

"Sure, sure," he replied casually. This was just another training exercise to him. Just like any survival drill or ambush training that Hayate-sensei had put them through before. The only difference was that it was a little more live fire, and their opponents weren't a jōnin skilled with using a mess of Kage Bunshin.

"Which way are you going?" Yurushi asked. They needed to establish more safeguards to protect themselves against an infiltration, but once he finished his job, their defense would be pretty solid.

"I'm going to go no more than a kilometer north northeast," the young swordsmith replied. "If I find something I'll come back. If I find another team I won't engage, but I might trail 'em for a while."

"Just stay alert," Yurushi reminded. "Reenter camp from the south, just so we can be sure it's you."

Nodding, Kenshi took off. They had a plan, and they were going to stick to it. Kenshi was just looking for essentials, and when he returned they could map out a more detailed plan of action.

Hanami carried the scroll. Neither Kenshi, nor Yurushi even knew what kind of scroll they had. It didn't matter. No one would take it from them. Not by force or by deception. The range of her sensory technique aside, she was skilled enough to know the difference between her teammates and someone using a disguise. The basic idea so far was to scout out an opposing team until they found one that Hanami thought they could take. When she gave the signal, they would move to attack. Just like when they tried to ambush Sensei, they would move as a team.

For now though, rest was what they would need. Other teams would likely start hunting now. They would wear themselves out trying to get through the test quickly. They would be tired making camp, and their watch rotations would be exhausting. Night was the perfect time to strike. In the hours just before dawn, that would be when the teams would have their guards down. They would begin feeling over confident that they had survived their first day, and then Team Thirteen would make its move.

Scanning over the sealing array one last time, Yurushi felt confident enough in his work. It was a rushed job, but it would do the trick just fine. He rose, standing at the entrance of the hollowed out base of the tree and began cycling through the necessary hand seals. It was a long and tedious process and after a few minutes of molding the chakra as needed he slammed his hands on the soft earth. Kanji, symbols of fūinjutsu, and various other patterns and etchings necessary for the seal to work bled from his hands with the outpouring of chakra.

They glowed as the embers of a dying flame as they danced around the camp. Performing this jutsu was more tiring than he had originally believed. He had not imagined that activating a seal of this nature would take so much as his strength was sapped. The worst part was he wasn't done yet. The sealing array was still arranging itself on the thick grass of the forest around them, and he could only hope that another team wouldn't discover them while he was feeling drained of energy. Finally, the fiery symbols blackened and faded from sight. Yurushi fell over on to his back to catch his breath once the technique was done. Hopefully, all that chakra use would pan out like it was supposed to.

"Are you alright?" Hanami asked concerning. Yurushi only responded with a thumb up and a grin.

"So, um what was all of that about anyway?" The girl asked fidgeting with her hair. The snow white tresses were marred with the blood on her hands. It was a shame. Her hair was pure, and all he had wanted was for her to stay that way. The blood on her hands was his fault. Her soul was tainted because of him. She had killed for him. It shouldn't have happened like that. He had been too careless.

"In my bag, you should see a scroll with a label on it that says _identity_. If you would pull that out I'll explain," he answered as he tiredly pointed to his pack.

Hanami dug through the bag and found the item in question. She opened it and looked a little confused. "It just has our names written on it," she pointed out. "Mine is in my handwriting though, how did that happen?"

"The seal is a type of sensory seal that I developed," Yurushi answered and tried to sit up. The strain made the task a lot more difficult than it should have been. Between the sudden loss of chakra and his training seal at maximum operational strength he couldn't move as quickly as he wanted to. "You guys channeled your chakra through your blood on to the sealing array, and now any time you are inside the boundary of the seal it will let us know who's here."

"So when Kenshi comes back, his name will be written on this scroll?" Hanami asked understanding the basic premise.

"Yeah," the Uzumaki confirmed. He wanted to stand and begin making camp, but that wasn't going to happen at the moment. Sitting up was about all he had in him for the time being.

"Just how long is the range on this thing?" Hanami seemed amazed by the usefulness of the seal. It would give her a legitimate chance to relax when she wasn't on guard duty, and that was the whole point of creating the sealing array. Each member of the team would need to be fresh and ready for action. If Hanami was always sleeping with one eye open, and on constant guard then she wouldn't be at peak condition.

"It depends on how much chakra I use when applying it," Yurushi began to explain still feeling fairly winded. "Based on what I calculated and how much chakra I used I thought I gave it a range of one hundred meters from the point of origin. I don't think the sealing formula uses chakra as efficiently as it should, and since Kenshi isn't on that scroll I'd guess the range is a forty meter radius at most."

"So what happens when someone else comes inside that range?" The girl asked violet eyes focused on the possible threat of their camp being infiltrated.

"The scroll will read that an unknown person is nearby and will tell us what direction they are from the center of the seal," Yurushi informed as he stood to his feet, still feeling a little uneasy.

He knew for a fact that he shouldn't feel this drained. There was indeed something wrong with the design of the fūinjutsu. It did exactly what he intended for it to do, but there was a lack of efficiency somewhere along the line. He decided to revisit the overall structure and formula of the sealing array when the exams were over. Or better yet, when Jiraiya-sensei was back in the village he could take a look at it. Until such a time, he needed to finish setting up their camp. They would need to lay out their bed rolls so they were at least sort of comfortable once they were organized beneath the mighty tree. Firewood was also a necessity, especially if any of them caught any game.

With so much to do Yurushi set off to accomplish his job, but the sudden movement made him dizzy. Falling over, he met the ground uncomfortably and felt a wave of nausea take him. '_I must have used a lot more chakra than I thought,_' after the thought crossed his mind he found Hanami hovered over him. She was looking deeply into his eyes and concern was painted on her face.

"You just stay right here and rest," she ordered, setting the identification scroll in his limp hands. "I'll take care of setting up camp. I'll be close by so if anything shows up on this thing just contact me through the Comm. seal."

The redhead nodded silently and surrendered to sleep. '_Everything will be fine. We have a plan. We are ready for anything. We can do this._'

* * *

Things weren't looking good. The twilight hours were setting in and darkness was just beginning to overtake the forest. Everything was so very different as the little sunlight that trickled through the canopy overhead was slowly fading away. The woods known as the Forest of Death became alive, and in the most predatory of ways. Every shadow was a threat, every noise was an enemy, and every move felt like it could be her last. It was maddening.

Facing it all alone, Hanami didn't think she would be able to last much longer in this place.

'Kenshi can you hear me?' Hanami called to him through their communication seal. 'Kenshi answer me!'

No response.

It had been hours since he had left camp. He said that he wasn't going to be gone long. He was only going to find a source of water and scout the immediate area. He had been gone over five hours. Either he was out of range from their secret method of communication, or something had happened.

No. Nothing had happened to him. Kenshi-kun could handle himself. He was fine.

'Kenshi-kun,' she pleaded for her friend to answer. She could feel the tears well up, and she chided herself for her behavior. Still, the fact remained that he wasn't answering and he should have been back already. Hanami knew that there was no reason to doubt him, but the thought of him being out there in trouble and all alone wasn't comforting. 'Kenshi-kun, please answer. Talk to me please!'

The snap of a branch sounded from behind her. Without hesitation she turned and launched a kunai at the source of the sound. There was a satisfying _thunk_ as the pointed edge collided with the exposed roots of the tree serving as their temporary home. The flapping of wings filled the air as she saw a bird fly off. '_Calm down,_' Hanami tried to ease her nerves, '_I can't go crazy out here._'

She breathed deeply, holding her breath in for a while before exhaling steadily. She needed to relax. Yurushi would be awake soon, and she could rest. Once he woke up, then he would be able to fix their communication seal and find out why Kenshi-kun was so late. As soon as Yurushi woke up he would fix it. He would make things better.

Studying the scroll in her hands all she saw was her name right above Yurushi's. She sighed. '_He just found some things that he needed to check out,_' she reasoned to herself. 'He's just out of range. _That's all. He'll be back here any minute, and he better bring something to eat._'

Trying to calm herself down wasn't really helping matters. Despite the attempts to convince herself otherwise, she knew something was wrong. She knew that she should be out looking for her teammate, but she couldn't leave Yurushi all alone while he slept. Waking him wouldn't do much good either. If that jutsu he used left him too tired to stand, then he probably had acute chakra exhaustion. Sensei had said that when chakra exhaustion was the problem the best solution was to sleep it off. Yurushi would wake up when he was feeling better, but she really wanted it to be sooner rather than later.

Having already established the camp, built a fire, and even dragging Yurushi onto a bed roll had only taken an hour or two. Maybe it was only an hour or two. Time was difficult to judge in this place. Nothing seemed to move. The air was still and thick with moisture clinging to each breath. The light of midafternoon seemed to only just leak in through the canopy leaving the darkness of night an ever looming threat.

After setting up the camp she was left to her own devises, and her constant fear. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her very bones. Trouble was brewing in the unseen corners of this dangerous training ground. Twitching hands rested on the hardened leather of her kunai holster. Trying to resist the desire to grab the trusted steel of a throwing knife or a shuriken, Hanami drew in slow, deep, breaths to fight against her rising paranoia.

She heard a groan, and the rustling of clothing coming from where Yurushi was resting. Without hesitation the frightened teen drew a pair of kunai, ready to launch them at whatever was disturbing her teammate's rest. Hanami arrested the movement of her throwing arm when she caught sight of the redhead rising to his feet. Standing, Yurushi looked a little shaky, but his footsteps were sure enough as he made his way to join her near the mighty roots of their temporary home. His hair was disheveled and his eyes still droopy looking from what had been his unintended nap. She couldn't help herself but giggle at the way her friend resembled Sensei after a quick nap. He was a mess.

"Sorry," he apologized as he adjusted the strap that tied his wakizashi to his back. "How long was I out?"

"I don't know. Maybe four or five hours," Hanami answered with a grin before the humor of the Uzumaki's appearance wore off. "Kenshi hasn't come back yet."

"Has he answered through the Comm. seal?" The teen asked quietly. Hanami shook her head in the negative. His steel blue eyes were scanning something far off. He was searching for an answer to a possible problem. '_Just like I thought, he will fix things. Yurushi will make everything better,_' Hanami felt relieved. Her teammate could solve any problem that he put his mind to.

"We'll give him another thirty minutes," Yurushi decided. "After that we go looking for him."

Yurushi adjusted his black jacket and checked the stock of his weapons in his kunai holster strapped to his right leg. He seemed so determined, prepared, and confident. His was a quiet strength. Never boastful, but always sure of himself, and Hanami felt a little jealous. She wanted to be that kind of person. She wanted to be like her friends, like her Sensei, and like her father. Hanami wished that she could stare down any adversary, any obstacle, any challenge, and face it head on without fear.

'_How does he do it?_' She wondered as she watched him return to the hovel inside the overgrown elm and rummage through his pack. '_How does he always know what to do? How can he always have the courage to do it?_'

For the longest time, she felt the paralyzing fear of failure. Her confidence would be drained as she faced insurmountable odds, and without any sort of support or encouragement she could do nothing. It was why she was so grateful to be on Kenshi's team. If she had been paired up with anyone else, Hanami doubted that she would have come so far as a kunoichi. Even Yurushi found ways to help her overcome her anxiety. Why did she seem to lack something so basic to the shinobi life? '_Why am I always so afraid?_' She wondered.

Perhaps there was some sort of trick, or technique that she had simply glossed over in her studies. Or maybe she just didn't have what it takes to be a ninja. That was likely what it was. The idea had been floating around in her head for a while now. The debacle in Yokkaichi had put it there, and the more she thought about it the more it just seemed to make sense. All of the constant stress and fear was too much for her to handle. She couldn't live like this, and Hanami had never thought that the shinobi life was so taxing.

Her father had warned her of the dangers, but she brushed them aside. The starry eyed girl from so many years ago simply wanted to be just like her daddy. That girl had learned quickly that the ninja had several expectations placed upon them. Those expectations were only compounded by the transference of all the unfulfilled promise that her father never lived up to. It all fell on her. Because people were bitter, or hopeful, or disappointed by her father's retirement, so they heaped the pressure to achieve greatness upon her. The standard was a level of excellence that her father had achieved. It was a standard that she could never attain. It was the shattered legacy of her father's potential, and Hanami knew that she didn't have the same sort of skill.

Her mind was set. After the exams, no matter what happened, she would back out of the shinobi program. She would hang up her hitai-ate for good before someone got hurt because of her. It had almost happened on the mission to Yokkaichi. She made a stupid choice and didn't listen to Yurushi, and her team almost got killed trying to save her.

"Are you alright?" Yurushi asked, seated on an exposed root directly to her left. She didn't even notice he had gotten so close. The subtle etching of concern had made its way to his visage. "You look a little upset."

"I'm fine," she answered sharply. She felt bad for lashing out like that. Instinct was to get defensive against accusations of weakness. Her father had warned her that some shinobi still felt that kunoichi were weaker, either mentally or physically. This was her teammate though. Yurushi had never thought her to be weak. He was only worried about her.

"I never did thank you for saving me," he said ignoring the outburst of attitude that she had given him. Looking up into the trees he continued to explain before she could voice her confusion. "On that mission, in the cave with the cultists, I backed myself into a corner and wasn't guarding myself very well. After Kenshi set you free you threw a kunai, killing one of the cultists, and it saved my life."

"It was nothing," Hanami answered in a softer tone than before. Now she really felt guilty. "You would have done the same for me."

"It was everything," Yurushi replied still looking towards the treetops. "It was my fault that you got captured in the first place. I shouldn't have let you go alone."

"No," Hanami shook her head in protest. "I told you we had to split up. I should have known I couldn't handle it by myself, but I had to try and do something. If you had gotten captured like I did, I don't think I would have been able to rescue you. I never was brave like you or Kenshi."

"Don't be ridiculous," Yurushi scolded blandly. "You've rescued me a couple of times now. You would have been more than capable to do what Kenshi and I did."

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better," she returned. She didn't want pity or pretty little pleasantries for the sake of her feelings. Not from him. Yurushi had always been honest and up front with her. It is part of what makes him so reliable. "I can handle the truth. I'm not cut out for this, and I know it. That's why when this is over, I'm quitting."

From the corners of her vision she could see Yurushi cutting a heated glare at the side of her head. She wouldn't look at him. She wasn't going to let him continue to lie just to keep her going. She was determined, and she wasn't going to let him change her mind no matter what he said.

"You know, that's probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard," the swordsman scoffed. "And I live with Naruto, so I've heard a lot of dumb things."

"I'm not wrong and you know it!" She rebutted with a little more authority. "Every time something happens I freeze up. I get scared, and I'm so, so useless. You or Kenshi-kun could get hurt or killed because of me, and I don't want that. I couldn't live with that."

Yurushi simply shook his head in silence. He seemed disappointed in her, but did not vocally disagree. She was right, and he knew it. "You are far from useless, and if you can't see that then maybe you should quit."

"What?" Hanami asked disbelieving his words. Was he encouraging her to quit, or was he trying to call the whole notion foolish? She couldn't tell. Sometimes the redhead liked to talk in little puzzles, or at least he seemed to enjoy it since he did it all the time.

"If you can't see how valuable you are to this team, then you are only dragging yourself down," the Uzumaki answered sternly. "You're the only person that can keep you from reaching your fullest potential, and if you aren't trying to be the best you can then you're wasting your time."

"But, but I am trying," the girl defended. Her friend's sudden and unexpected rebuke had her on the verge of tears, but she was fighting them back. "I'm just not strong enough. I'm so afraid I'm going to fail. I'm not like you or Kenshi. I can't just stop being afraid and do what you guys do."

"That's where you're wrong Hanami," Yurushi looked at her with a sly grin on his face. "You are strong. I've seen you overcome whatever fears you have enough to push yourself forward when it really counts. And if you think that I'm not afraid when you guys are in trouble then you're kidding yourself."

"Then how do you do it?" Hanami was puzzled now. She didn't want to believe it was possible. The seemingly fearless leader of Team Thirteen could somehow grow faint at the first sign of danger was doubtful. "How do you just throw on a brave face and power through?"

"I'm guessing it's the same way you do," the guy answered with no hints of dishonesty. "I think of all the things I stand to lose by doing nothing. When I saw Kenshi held at knife-point during the Yokkaichi mission I was terrified that I would see my best friend die right in front of me. When I saw an attacker moving to strike at his blind spot I was so worried I wasn't going to make it in time. After we learned that you and Sensei had been captured both Kenshi and I were going crazy just hoping that you two were still alive. Anytime my friends could get hurt I am afraid, that's why I don't let myself just stand around and do nothing. If I did, then I could lose everything precious to me."

"Really?" Hanami asked under her breath. It sounded unbelievable. She knew that the redheaded teen thought highly of her, but she never would have imagined that he valued her so much. There was an indescribable swelling in her heart to know that she was precious to someone, and not just because they were family.

"Really," he answered with a smile. "We're a team; you, me, and Kenshi. You guys are counting on me to be there when you need help. Kenshi and I are counting on you to back us up. We believe in you. I believe in you. You just have to learn to believe in yourself."

It was a little depressing to learn that the two people you were closest to had faith in you, while you held no faith in yourself. Kenshi and Yurushi were counting on her, and they knew that she could pull through. They were able to see strength in her that she could not, and all Hanami had to do now was figure out how to draw it from where it hid. It wasn't that that she was incapable. She had been told time and time again that she was an excellent ninja. Hanami feared failure. Bringing dishonor to her name and her father's reputation was something that she couldn't stand for, but always worried about.

"If you ever start to get anxious, or worried, then just know that I'll always be right here to give you a hand," Yurushi added as he rose to his feet. "I know that Kenshi feels the same way."

Just then the trees to the west rustled as Kenshi burst through. Doubled over, and out of breath the young ninja seemed to be a little worse for wear. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises adorned seemingly every inch of exposed flesh. Hanami's heart sank for a moment as she scanned over her comrade's injuries at a distance. Rushing to his side, things became clearer and she felt relieved when she noticed that they all appeared to be superficial. Setting everything else aside, helped the young swordsman to his feet, using her own body as his crutch.

"Did you know," Kenshi panted, "that there are… tigers here that… are like three meters tall… out there?"

"Where have you been all this time?" Hanami asked incredulously. "I was calling for you for hours. Why didn't you answer?"

"Sorry about that," Kenshi scratched the back of his neck looking rather embarrassed. "I meant to respond, but the tigers were relentless. They must have hunted me for like the last three hours, and I couldn't lead them back to camp. I need to lie down for a while."

"Well," Hanami had to think about this for a bit as she helped Kenshi make his way to an open bed roll. If a tiger around three meters tall was chasing him around for three hours it may be a bit of a risk to go out looking for food. "I guess if you tell Yurushi where you found water he can go get it for us."

"Hanami, can I have a moment?" Yurushi ushered her over to his side. Once the snowy haired girl helped her exhausted team member get comfortable she joined up with the other boy on the team. He was holding the identification scroll that she had discarded when their wayward teammate had returned. The Uzumaki simply stood there staring at the scroll as if there was something wrong. His face was one of suspicion. Needless to say, Hanami was curious as to what the trouble was.

"What's wrong?" She asked quietly.

Her answer came as Yurushi turned the scroll around so that way she could read it. To her, it seemed the same at first glance. Her name was listed right above Yurushi's, just the same as it had been before Kenshi returned to camp. Then it clicked. Kenshi's name wasn't on the scroll at all. She looked over at the person she had just helped lay down to rest with wide eyes. The fūinjutsu that Yurushi used had to be wrong. It just had to be. Yurushi had said that there were problems with how efficiently it used chakra, maybe there were more problems than he had anticipated.

'Kenshi,' she called for him with trepidation over their communication seal, 'could you come here for a minute?'

He never moved. Not even a budge or a twitch as his name was called. Had her teammate heard that, then he would have been getting up to see what the matter was. Tired or not, Kenshi would have at least responded. She turned back to Yurushi to see him shake his head. He had tried that as well. With fear rising up in her heart, Hanami looked at the form of the teen sleeping in Kenshi's bed mat. It wore his face. It spoke in his voice. It even held a few of his quirks. It even slept on its side just like Kenshi-kun did.

'_This has to be Kenshi-kun,_' she reasoned to herself. '_It just has to be._'

Nothing else made any sense. Sure there were warning signs, but there were easy explanations. He entered camp from the west instead of the south, but he was in trouble so it wasn't that big of a deal. He wasn't answering the hails on his Comm. seal, but he was distracted at the time. Now he was sleeping, and had she been sleeping she wouldn't answer either. Now that she studied him, lying there, she saw the telltale sign. She could see the undeniable proof of a now inescapable truth.

His sword, it was gone. Tigers or not, Kenshi-kun did not let his sword stray from his sight. The ninjatō was something he carried since their time in the Academy. From his first year there, he took it with him wherever he went. It was the first sword he made without help from his father, and he was proud of his work. Kenshi would rather be eaten by a gigantic rabid tiger than lose his favorite weapon in some damnable forest. Whether she liked it or not, Hanami now knew one thing beyond a shadow of a doubt. This was not Kenshi.

Whoever this imposter may be was about to receive a very rude awakening. Before she could take more than two steps toward the fool who thought they could pull one over on her a firm grip took hold of her shoulder. She turned to see Yurushi shaking his head and wordlessly telling her not to engage. She took a breath and calmed herself. They didn't know who that was or what they were capable of. They had to tread carefully.

Extending her senses outward, Hanami felt out for other members of the imposter's team. She couldn't feel the presence of anyone else nearby, but that didn't mean much. This guy snuck by Yurushi's fūinjutsu, which was designed to pick up the presence of people not on their team. Hanami studied the chakra signature of the prone figure and gained more reason to believe this was an enemy. The chakra was nowhere near what Kenshi's felt like. This person's chakra was more refined, and extremely potent. Kenshi-kun had powerful chakra for his age, but this was not a genin in front of them. This individual was not someone to be trifled with. Not in a thousand years.

Hanami already knew that they were going to poke the beehive, and possibly stir a sleeping giant. The person posing as their friend knew where the real one was, and he probably wasn't going to simply tell them. Which was fine for her, this fight was personal.

'How do we want to play this out?' Yurushi's voice entered her ears with the faint echo standard of their audibly silent communiqué.

'I don't know.' Hanami replied honestly. 'There is no way that this person is a genin. Their chakra is so powerful it's off the charts.'

Where there should be fear, Hanami felt only rage. This person hurt Kenshi-kun. Now her teammate is out in this forest all alone and possibly with grievous injuries. If this beast in front of her didn't want to talk, then she would make him talk. If he still didn't want to talk, then she would make him bleed.

'Is there any way to gauge what their chakra reserves are like?' Yurushi asked as he was likely cooking up some sort of plan.

'No,' Hanami admitted. 'I can't get a gauge on the kind of reserves they have until they start trying to use chakra. I can only feel the chakra that their body is already using, and it feels more powerful than Sensei's.'

'Have you ever heard of something called a jinchūriki?' Yurushi's voice asked her as he began to slowly pace back and forth behind her.

'I've heard of them,' she replied, 'but I don't know what they are.'

'They are people with demons sealed inside of them,' he answered as he finally came to a stop on her left hand side. 'A powerful fūinjutsu seals the demon inside of a living person, and depending on the seal, that person can use the demon's chakra as their own.'

'People do that?' Hanami thought of the dreadful life such a person would have. To live with a demon inside of you had to be a horrible way to live. There was no way that one living being could be sealed into another without some form of repercussion. If the jinchūriki could use the chakra of the demon they contained, then it stood to reason that the demon could exert some control over their host. There was always some form of give and take when two sources of chakra interact.

'They do,' Yurushi's voice sounded grim as he leveled a stare toward her that seemed to be a warning. 'If this person's chakra is powerful, and they have an inhuman amount of it, then we may be dealing with a jinchūriki.'

'So, um,' Hanami was getting nervous now. This was starting to sound a bit out of their league. A jinchūriki didn't exactly sound like someone you ran around starting a fight with; not without some form of plan at least. 'How exactly do we fight one?'

'Normally,' Yurushi paused, 'we run.'

That sounded hopeful. They were about ready to start brawling against something neither one was prepared for, and could only pray that they would be alive after it was done. Yurushi's ability to make plans was really starting to slip if he couldn't think of anything other than run. Now was not the best time to have his skills start degrading. Then again, this was a new situation for him.

'We take him together,' Yurushi said. 'I'll go in directly and you give me long range support. Use your Kunai and ninja wire to keep him from moving too freely. If you see an opening to use Katon jutsu, then take it. We can't give this person a single second to think or plan.'

Hanami nodded. That sounded much better. Yurushi was just going to treat this like any other fight. Go in with a plan, carry that plan out, adjust, adapt, and survive. 'What about Kenshi?' She asked. If this guy knew something, then it would help them find him later.

'I doubt he'd tell us anything,' Yurushi answered as he silently cycled through a few hand seals. 'If he did, then he'd probably just try to mess with us by saying that he killed Kenshi. I wouldn't trust anything he says anyway.'

Hanami steeled herself for a big fight. Both of them knew that the imposter wouldn't just let them walk away. They infiltrated to get something from the two of them, and they weren't leaving empty handed. The fraud's plan was probably to wait until it was _Kenshi's_ turn to take watch and then kill them while they were asleep.

Glancing toward Yurushi, she noticed that he looked as though he felt much more relaxed. He probably just lowered the strength of his training seal. He would need time to let his body adjust to his newfound speed. Yurushi was planning for a serious fight. So this was a perfect opportunity to stall for some time.

"Hey," Hanami called out to the sleeping ninja. "What did you do with our teammate?"

She expected to hear denials to the accusation. Perhaps there would be an argument to convince them that they were indeed Kenshi. Hanami thought that the person would simply admit that they were caught and drop their use of the Henge no Jutsu. None of those things happened. Still disguised as Kenshi, they stood up slowly, laughing all the while. The laughter was a dark and eerie chuckle that chilled her bones. Whatever this person was, they were not a laughing matter. The fear that threatened to grip her heart earlier returned with a renewed vigor as she faced down some unknown terror.


	23. Snake in the Grass

**Chapter 23: Snake in the Grass**

"The world of men is dreaming, it has gone mad in its sleep, and a snake is strangling it, but it can't wake up." - D. H. Lawrence

* * *

It had been the longest single minute of his short life. The question rang out with clarity, but the only thing that remained was fear. Pure and unbridled, the terror ran rampant through his mind. The air was thick, and he couldn't breathe anymore. No other sensation had ever come close to this. Death stood before him, and he had no veil, no cover, nothing to shield him from what was to come. He knew. Yurushi knew that this was the end.

The ninja wearing Kenshi's face calmed his laughter. "So, it seems you've seen through my little ruse," the voice was strange coming from the image of his best friend. It was foreign, dripping with suave confidence and meticulous tone. Smoke soon sprung from Kenshi's form identifying the cancellation of the Henge no Jutsu. The smoke eventually dissipated, but the panic did not. It remained as the intruder was slowly being revealed.

A straw hat rested atop long black hair. Dark eyes glimmered back as an arrogant smirk was shown on their face. There was a tan colored garb draped over black shirt and pants. A thick purple colored rope bound it together. The hitai-ate bore the symbol of Kusagakure, and Yurushi didn't want to believe that someone from such a backwater village could so easily get the drop on Kenshi. The evidence to the contrary was overwhelming. It was almost as overpowering as the amount of chakra that was being leaked into the air.

"I don't expect an answer, but I'll ask anyway," the Kusa ninja began coolly. "Where can I find Uchiha Sasuke?"

The hard stare that followed the question caused Yurushi's tongue to catch in his mouth. His eyes, those dark and soulless orbs, for a split second shone with bloodlust that went beyond sanity. It was reasonable to think several genin would want to fight the last of the Uchiha, but the way in which this ninja spoke made the young swordsman extremely nervous. He could almost taste the murderous intent that flooded his senses, and even then it felt restrained. This ninja was no ordinary genin.

"Tell us where Kenshi-kun is and we'll tell you what we know," Hanami answered with fire. She looked to be handling herself well enough, but even he could tell that it might not last much longer. The mystery ninja laughed hauntingly at the notion of the trade of information.

"My dear child," the dark haired ninja calmed down and answered with an approving smile. "You are in no position to try to bargain with me."

"You can't scare me into thinking we're surrounded!" Hanami barked back. "I know for a fact that you are alone out here. It's two on one, so tell me what I want to know!"

Yurushi gulped down the rising bile and dread. He couldn't help but think that Hanami was poking a sleeping bear. Did she not know? Could she not tell the great threat that this person was posing to them? Or was she so consumed with her single-minded desire to find their wayward friend? The Uzumaki wasn't sure why she wasn't backing down and giving this person reason to leave, but he knew that agitating this shinobi any further could prove disastrous. The sheer force of their chakra was beyond that of even their Sensei's. It wasn't right. It wasn't normal. It didn't feel human. He was like a demon, scheming and plotting destruction. The frightened young man couldn't help but wonder if this was perhaps a jinchuriki.

Naruto wasn't normal either. Normal enough for a kid, but he was not entirely without anomaly. He had a seemingly limitless supply of energy, and that in itself was a titanic challenge to fight against. Naruto wasn't the most skilled of combatants. He had gotten better, but he was still learning. If this opponent was more talented, and had the same kind of stamina, then there was no hope for victory.

"Very rarely does a predator hunt in groups," the shinobi replied with a sinister smirk. "Predators will only coordinate to take down larger game."

The floodgates opened as a torrent of chakra was emitted from the lone shinobi. Somehow the menacing aura the imposter was emitting doubled in potency. It was so oppressing Yurushi forgot how to breathe and he couldn't move for simple fear of what might happen. Slowly, with lazy and belligerent movements the ninja drew a pair of kunai. As the knives were released into flight Yurushi watched as they pierced his feet embedding themselves to the circled pommel.

He could feel the edges puncture skin and flesh and bone as they went straight through, pinning him to the earth below. They were ghostly daggers as the boy felt no pain, but every agonizing thought of knowing what was about to happen was more than enough discomfort. From the corner of his eye he saw the Kusa ninja had swiftly moved to Hanami. He couldn't turn his head, but the Uzumaki found that it wasn't needed. The unnamed shinobi was dragging the girl by her hair until he stood her up, hand still gripping the snowy white locks near the roots, making an obvious show of the ordeal.

Drawing yet another kunai, the ninja let the object hang in his hand with a gruesome anticipation. Yurushi could see Hanami pleading, begging, crying, but he could hear nothing. There was no noise from her whimpers, no pain from the pierced flesh, and even the smell of the old woodland around him was gone. As if savoring every last moment the dagger slowly travelled through the air. The ninja's hand grasped the hilt firmly and brought it up to the girl's sobbing face. The tip of the blade entered through the underside of the jaw and continued unimpeded to the brain.

Yurushi dropped to his knees. The grass was cool in his hands as he forced them to hold his entire body weight. Looking up he could see only the strange and brutal ninja standing there eyes gleaming. He hadn't moved. It was all a dream, a hallucination, or a premonition of what was to come. Hanami was unharmed. As Yurushi looked over to see her seated on the ground gasping for breath trying to let the horror drain from her face he figured that she had seen something similar and was left just as shaken. Whatever she was doing to alleviate the shock, wasn't working. This ninja was not the sort of person they needed to mess with.

"So then, you want to know about _Kenshi-kun_?" He asked playfully as he slowly, deliberately drew a pair of kunai knives. Just as the vision before, and the redhead knew what was coming next. "How about we play a little game first? If you win I'll tell you what you want to know."

Yurushi rose to his feet shakily. Running wasn't an option any more. The paralyzing fear that this shinobi's chakra seemed to induce still gripped him. Even if he felt that he had the strength to flee, there was nowhere to go. There was nowhere to hide where the Kusagakure ninja would not find them. He truly was a predator. They were his prey. It didn't matter what they said or did. Something sinister had stumbled upon them, and there was no way out. They could only fight to survive. If only he could muster the will to take such a stand.

The ninja threw the kunai toward him. They were headed for his feet, just like the vision from earlier. He wanted to move. He knew that he needed to. He had seen what happened if he just stood there. Whatever signals that his brain had been sending to his legs were getting lost along the way. Nothing he wanted to happen was happening. The full weight of this strange person's malicious desires was bearing down on him and it was crippling. This was no mere human. This was a monster.

The clang of metal rang out followed by the image of the kunai falling to the ground side by side with a pair of shuriken. Without even looking he knew what happened. Yurushi was the intended target because he was likely perceived to be the bigger threat. Hanami interjected herself and brought on the full and undivided attention of his attacker. Even if she hadn't stepped in, even if he had found a way to defend himself, there was no pretty end to this scenario.

"You said if we win you'll tell us about Kenshi," Hanami's voice had a passion in it. Her words were confident and strong. Even if she had no hope of winning, Yurushi could tell that she was going to be able to try. His heart longed to join her, but the pressure continued to grow as he struggled to stay standing. Only willpower kept Yurushi on his feet and its influence was waning beneath the magnitude of the monster that stood before them.

'_Hanami, I'm sorry,_' the redhead apologized to his teammate as he wondered what had given her the bravery needed to move. Did she not feel the ominous fear that was permeating the very air, or was it sheer desperation to find Kenshi that gave her strength?

It was a marked change in her countenance. Hanami's face was etched with aggression and her stance was bold, confident, and ready for a fight. Purple eyes burned with determination. All the while, he couldn't even move. There was no hope for victory, not against this monster facing them. Yet, there she stood set for battle while he could barely stand up. In the back of his mind he knew that he needed to help Hanami, but there was no response from his limbs.

Without wasting any more time with words, Hanami sprung into action. Her naturally graceful form was so rigid and tight. Her first sets of jabs and kicks were clearly telegraphed, and the dark haired shinobi was dodging them with ease. The predatory ninja got tired of the cat and mouse game and kicked at the girl when she left her right side unguarded.

Surprisingly, she slipped beneath the attack and struck at the back of the head of the ninja sending him wobbling forward, trying to retain his balance. Not wasting any time, Hanami flung several kunai in her opponent's direction. Each one seemingly missed, dozens of the flying pieces of metal ran dangerously close to the unnamed assailant and embedded themselves deeply into several trees. Then, Yurushi saw her plan. Hanami had quickly and fluidly ran several lines of ninja wire through the holed pommel of a kunai she had been holding in her fist and anchored the lines into the earth. Each line of wire was tethered to one of the metallic projectiles that she had just thrown. Performing hand seals with a practiced precision, she brought fingers to her mouth.

The air exploded with flames. The inferno barreled toward the Kusagakure shinobi who turned his head to see the attack with surprise on his face. The taut wires were strategically placed to limit his movement. Hanami had been waiting for the ninja to make a move only so that she could trap him in his arrogance. The earth was scorched along with the kunoichi's victim. The metallic strings fell to the earth as the connection to their moorings was melted away, all else that remained was ash.

"Damn," Hanami blurted. "I wasn't trying to kill him."

The earth shifted behind the girl. A figure rose slowly, and Yurushi couldn't find his voice. The enemy had evaded the Katon jutsu with some mysterious technique of his own. The fight wasn't over, but Hanami should have sensed the enemy's presence. Her frame hadn't twitched or tensed. She wasn't prepared for what was to come.

Yurushi felt his fear redouble, but this felt different than before. Before, the oppressive chakra induced a primal, paralyzing fear deep in his soul. What he felt now had overtaken that sensation. Now he was simply worried for his teammate's safety. Yurushi ran to her. The hit came suddenly, and with such force. Speeding away from the impact the girl was soaring toward the trunk of the tree serving as their home. Throwing himself between the ironclad bark covering their home base and his helpless friend, Yurushi braced for impact.

Air left his lungs, as the pair from Team Thirteen slammed into their temporary shelter. Yurushi fell to the ground, still clutching to his friend. His head was ringing, and when Hanami worked her way out of his arms he couldn't really hear what she was saying. Shaking the proverbial cobwebs out didn't help much either. He was dazed. There were five violet eyes looking on him with concern and about three mouths were moving identically.

The sound of her voice came in mumbled, little more than a gentle rumbling of sound in his ear. Eventually, Hanami didn't have hazy copies of herself flanking her on either side. The sounds she was making became intelligible. "Hey, come on Yurushi talk to me," Hanami sounded frantic as she peeked over her shoulder.

"Sorry," he responded groggily.

"What took you so long?" She asked under her breath with relief and a smile making their way to her face. "I thought we were going to take him together."

"Sorry," he repeated with a slight frown. He felt ashamed for being so useless, but the moment had passed. For now at least. Things were grim, and he needed to focus. This was a struggle for their lives, but if this was the end then he was going to try and make it a good one. Falling in the heat of battle was more than he could ask for. He didn't want to die, and wasn't going to just let it happen. Although, should this battle take a turn he resolved to ensure Hanami could escape. It was the least he could do for a friend. Yurushi figured that if there was no way out then he may as well go with a bang and a smile. "We'll take him together this time."

Standing slowly, Yurushi got a new look at their opponent. The lips were splitting the enemies' face as he wore a sinister looking smile. Yurushi weighed his options carefully. His opponent was fast enough to be lazy about avoiding Hanami's attacks, but by the same token the girl was probably the slowest member of their team. His current speed might be enough to overwhelm the mystery ninja, but chances of that were slim. Sparing a glance at the white haired kunoichi to his left, he decided that it was best not to risk the chance.

A few quick hand seals and his seal decreased in strength. He had one level of resistance remaining before he was at the peak of his speed. No matter what, he couldn't let this opponent have a second to attack again. The last hit he and Hanami had taken nearly took them both out of commission. Another blow like that would end the fight for sure. Yurushi set his feet apart and gripped the hilt of the wakizashi at his back. This time, things were different. It was time to turn the tables and strike fear into the heart of his opponent.

'Together,' Hanami's voice entered his mind smoothly. He nodded in acknowledgement. They would do this together, just as he had planned before. He wasn't going to lock up again. Not this time. The fear of death wouldn't faze him anymore because now he was accepting of it. For Kenshi's sake they had to succeed. They had to. No matter what happened to him, Yurushi had to protect his friends. Their foe grinned back with ravenous anticipation.

The young Uzumaki exploded forward drawing steel from his sheath and bringing the edge down to cleave his enemy in a fluid motion. The whole while the smirk never left the ninja's face, and he quickly slid his body away from the attack. His hands began forming seals, but the young swordsman had anticipated that. Gleaming in the last light of day, the sword attempted to sever the enemy's hands from their wrists. While this strategy failed to do lasting damage, it did prevent the Kusa ninja from completing the hand seals for the jutsu he had planned.

Air whistled in his ear as kunai and shuriken darted past. They had come dangerously close to hitting him, but Yurushi didn't flinch. He trusted that Hanami would hit her mark. The weapons thrown past his left carried thin wires behind them. Yurushi pressed the attack, swiping and striking at his opponent so he would be unable to seek freedom from the hastily created boarder.

Every slash, stab, thrust, and kick was dodged. The way the shinobi moved seemed so effortless. The now gleeful looking ninja wasn't even trying to escape his reach of his sword. Another salvo of kunai rushed past creating another line of impediments. Yurushi led his combatant to the corner created by the intersecting lines of ninja wire. With a face splitting grin the crazed looking ninja went there willingly. He had yet to attempt any sort of counterattack, but would try to mold chakra when Yurushi stopped focusing on keeping his hands apart.

It was a little infuriating. More than just a little in all honesty. Jinchūriki or not there was no way that this ninja was just a genin. He was too fast, too confident, and too good. More wire walls were erected. This left Yurushi and his enemy enclosed in an area not much bigger than three square meters. That was Yurushi's estimation at least, but it didn't matter how big of a space he had to fight. He was going to bring this guy down.

'Yurushi,' Hanami's voice entered his mind. 'Keep this guy occupied for a little while longer. I have a log for you to Kawarimi with up in a tree at your ten o'clock. Get out of there as soon as I tell you.'

'What do you have planned?' He asked her but no answer came.

Yurushi's curiosity cost him. In the brief amount of time his full attention was diverted from his opponent, the ninja had drawn a kunai and was trying to run him through. Quickly, the redhead deflected the blow, but found a follow up attack was brought his way. With little time for much thought, Yurushi began to weave through the flurry of fists, kicks, and steel. Every ounce of his skill and speed were being put to the test simply because there wasn't much room to maneuver in. With no time to dodge, he blocked the impact of the dagger aimed to disable his sword arm. Blades locked in a fierce battle for dominance.

'Get out of there now!' Hanami warned through their linked seal.

His hands were gripping the hilt of his sword as he struggled against the mystery ninja. An unoccupied hand was raised lazily, aimed toward his face. Yurushi knew he was in a tight spot when he saw the sleeves shift as something started to slither up his foe's arm. Already he could feel the heat beginning to rain down. He had to risk it. His left hand let go of his sword and cycled through hand seals. Snakes burst forth from the fabric on the ninja's arm flashing their fangs and aiming to kill and the Kawarimi was complete without a moment to spare.

Standing from the branch where the log had been sitting, Yurushi could now see what his teammate had planned. She stood atop one of the upper cross-sections of her barricade, and another Katon technique was pouring from her mouth. The river of fire engulfed the entire area where he had barely escaped. This time there was no chance that ninja had escaped. There was no opportunity for him to get free. Yurushi had given him no opening. One of his opponent's hands was utilizing a jutsu, and the other was holding the kunai.

The stream of flames eventually stopped. There was a small heap of something in the middle of the temporary barrier, burning. Eyeing each other for a moment Yurushi and Hanami waited to see if the blazing remains would move at all. There was nothing, and Hanami dropped down to the earth once the fires left from her jutsu began to die out.

Landing in a crouch, the girl took a moment to rest on a knee. Her breathing was visibly ragged, and sweat was dripping off a few strands of hair. She had pushed herself to her limit, but sheer determination kept her moving. Standing, Hanami walked toward the wire walls slowly, and cut open a path to the smoldering remains. Yurushi noted that the wires that had been engulfed were not melted like they had been before, another sign of Hanami's exhaustion. Once the blaze was finally dead she nudged at the pile with her foot tentatively, as if waiting for something to happen.

'It's just a bunch of dirt and mud down here,' her voice echoed in his head.

Mud? How was that possible? Mud should have been baked into clay in the middle of all of that fire. Something was not right about that. 'Hanami, there shouldn't be any mud down there. Not after your jutsu,' Yurushi spoke through their seal, and she nodded in recognition.

The silent communication was proving to be invaluable. There was no telling if a person so skilled like the ninja they were facing would be able to crack the code of their team hand signals. This method allowed full access of language only the spoken word could bring, but without the eavesdroppers picking up on their plans. It was entirely useful. So much so that Yurushi was seriously considering giving the jutsu to the Hokage and letting him put it to greater use throughout the village.

Laughter echoed through the growing darkness. Like a shot, Yurushi found himself flying through the air away from their camp and toward the earth below. Landing hard, he felt pain exploding along the left side of his body where he first hit the inflexible ground. He felt nothing but agony pouring from his bones. Even the slightest movements in his left arm and shoulder were excruciating. He tried to stand only to stumble back down, face buried in the rough underbrush.

He didn't remember the enemy getting near him. He never felt the shift in the air or the added weight causing the branch to adjust and settle. Yurushi never even knew he had been attacked until it was too late, and the damage was done. This was no genin. Only Hayate-sensei had ever snuck up on him like that. '_A jōnin of Kusagakure is posing as a genin and he's looking for the Uchiha, but why? What does he want?_' Yurushi asked himself with gnashing teeth, gritting through his burning pain.

Finally sitting himself up Yurushi caught glimpses of Hanami through the line of trees. She had once again engaged the ninja. The fight was over for her. The jutsu she had used was incredibly demanding on her limited stores of chakra. She was on her last legs, and the only thing that was pushing her forward was likely the thought of Kenshi. Yurushi stood, knuckles white as he gripped his sword. The pain in his shoulder was immeasurable, but he had to try and ignore it. He had to get Hanami out of here before something bad happened.

The enemy leaned back, away from Hanami's outstretched fist, and with a broad stroke his arm knocked hers away. Hanami stumbled slightly, only just retaining her balance until a powerful fist met with her shocked face. The poor girl went sailing toward the redhead. Yurushi sheathed his sword as he poured every ounce of his chakra to propel him forward in hopes of catching the girl before she collided with something in the same way he had.

Again, he braced himself for the impact of his teammate's frame. Grabbing hold of the girl didn't stop her forward momentum and together the pair took a tumble to the ground. Pain redoubled as the added weight slammed against his left shoulder, but the redhead took some measure of satisfaction in the fact that his friend didn't break her neck against some tree.

'Hanami,' he called out to her never taking his eyes off his foe. There was no answer. He positioned his hand on her delicate neck and found a beating pulse. A sigh of relief escaped Yurushi's lips.

The girl was alive, but unconscious. That was better than what could have been. Slowly, Yurushi began retreating toward the line of trees on the edge of the clearing. He had to get his teammate out of the way of what would likely become a renewed battleground. The enemy simply stood before him; waiting patiently. If his opponent was going to be courteous, then Yurushi sure wasn't going to stop him. It didn't mean that he trusted the ninja. Rather, Yurushi kept an eye on the man as he simply stood there.

Finally, the girl was tucked away in relative safety, propped up against a nearby elm. It wasn't the best place for her, but it was out of the way enough. Turning his head away from the open ground where death stood waiting, Yurushi considered grabbing the Hanami and making a run for it. The thought was tempting, so very tempting, but it was a fruitless venture. The only chance he had of escape would be to abandon Hanami, and he couldn't do that. Kenshi wouldn't be able to look at him if he did that. Frankly, the Uzumaki didn't think he could live with the shame of such a cowardly act.

"Are you ready to continue?" The Kusa shinobi asked mockingly. The redhead wasn't going to deign himself to respond. "I must say you are quite gifted for your age," the man spoke unprompted. "One handed seals are a carefully guarded secret. Even I don't know how to perform them. I wonder where you learned them."

"Around," Yurushi jabbed back with ambiguous snippiness. After spending time in the village he had quickly learned that Katsushiro had taught him a plethora of things that were not studied by the shinobi. Most of it was philosophy, some was an alternate telling of history, but there were a few techniques. All of them were deemed to be secrets and closely guarded. Iaidō was one. The alternate ways of performing hand seals were the others, although he didn't realize the significance why these things were to be a secret until much later.

"There is something so very familiar about your chakra," the strange man reminisced pleasantly. "I can't recall where I've felt it before."

"I've never fought anyone from Kusagakure before, so it wasn't me," Yurushi noted as he took a ready stance. His right hand gripped his sword, waiting for the right moment to slip the blade from its sheath and bear the edge down upon this monster. Wielding his wakizashi with one hand was no trouble. The real problem was that his other arm was near useless. Moving it hurt terribly, and forming hand seals was impossible. The pain would be too much of a distraction to mold chakra in ways he wasn't intimately familiar with. This fight couldn't last long. The consequences were dire if things drew out.

"Hmm, I know I have felt your chakra before," the ninja returned looking terribly puzzled. '_Is he really trying to figure something out, or is he simply trying to throw me off?_' The Uzumaki asked himself while the enemy tried to answer his own question.

"The red hair seems familiar too, but I recall it being so much longer. Hmm, this shouldn't be such a difficult puzzle. There aren't many Uzumaki left anymore," the man continued to droll on in an effort to solve his conundrum, but Yurushi tensed at the mention of his clan name. The way it was spoken suggested a previous history, and the boy wasn't certain how to take that bit of information.

"Ah yes that's right it was about fourteen years ago. That was such an entertaining fight. I wonder if you will be as much fun as she was." The ninja mused casually.

"I couldn't say," Yurushi was feeling more and more on edge with each passing moment. "I've never met _her_."

This man was toying with him. The Kusa shinobi had been toying with them the entire time, and now he was suggesting to have fought a former member of the Uzumaki clan. There was no telling who he was or he was capable of. The mystery ninja assumed a loose defensive stance from his spot in the clearing. Yurushi was being baited, but the boy knew better than to take that bait. He wasn't going to engage until the shinobi started weaving hand seals.

"Well, come along and show me what you can do." The man said, words failing to goad the teen to take action. "Make your mother proud."

"What did you say?" Yurushi growled. The very thought of this charlatan even possibly being involved in his mother's disappearance made him absolutely livid.

"Fight me," the shinobi answered with a pleased look on his face. "I want to see if you were worth your mother's sacrifice."

Yurushi didn't wait to hear another word. He burst toward his foe hacking and slashing with blazing speed. The quick succession of attacks was relentless and each movement flowed into the next perfectly. He had never been so precise in his life. The rage rolled off him in waves and each was channeled through his blade. Every swipe would rend his foe asunder. Every slash would gorge on the flesh of this imposter. None ever touched the unknown shinobi, but it didn't stop Yurushi in the slightest. His arm continued the unyielding assault.

His foe backpedaled to separate them, but Yurushi wouldn't allow it. He closed the distance, and his attack continued. He knew that the ninja he was fighting was vastly superior to him, but it didn't faze him. He wouldn't allow this man to simply walk away anymore. This fiend was going to spill every dirty secret he knew. Yurushi would settle for nothing less

Dancing across the clearing the pair moved in tandem. The black haired ninja was seeking distance, but the red haired shinobi never giving it. The genin never let his foe fall outside the range of his sword. Rage continued to build as the boy continued to fail in his efforts of bisecting his foe. His left side throbbed with pain, but Yurushi soldiered on as he moved for diagonal strike aimed for his foe's right shoulder. The man snaked his way around the deadly metal. Undaunted, the redhead to twist his wrist and chained the near miss with a horizontal slash, but quickly found a forceful hand grasping his right elbow and preventing any further movement.

A dastardly smile graced the face of the Kusa shinobi before Yurushi found himself being twisted around. An open palm struck the back of his left shoulder and the hurt he had been trying to ignore made its presence known with renewed vigor. Agony engulfed him and everything inside the teen made him want to drop to the ground and cry out in pain. He couldn't allow himself to do that yet. The predator was lurking in his mind, searching for every weakness.

"I believe it's time for a change of venue, don't you agree?" The sinister ninja remarked with a deviously chipper tone. Yurushi turned to face his foe and prepared to give chase once again. He wasn't going to simply let this imposter get away if it could be helped. The redhead suppressed the violent aching in his body and charged toward his opponent.

Just before the Kusa ninja leapt for the branches above, the redhead let his chakra flow through his blade. Forming the energy around his weapon and compressing it, his chakra enveloped his wakizashi as if forming a blade around the sharpened metal. Striking down toward the ninja's head, the added range passed through striking nothing but air.

The ninja landed and looked down at him. The haughty glare Yurushi received shifted slightly as the mysterious man noticed something. Removing the straw hat for a closer inspection, the man noticed a nick along the brim of the headgear. "Most impressive," he admitted. Placing the hat back on his head the bizarre ninja looked ecstatic. "You'll do nicely. Yes, you'll be perfect."

"What did you do with her?" Yurushi couldn't ignore the burning in his heart anymore. Fury dripped off his words as he ignored the madman's comments. This fiend held the answers that he had spent years searching for. Yurushi would be damned if he didn't get those answers while they were within his sights.

"What did I do with who Yurushi-kun?" He asked menacingly.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Yurushi snarled back. "What did you do with my mother?"

"You know, I can't quite recall what happened," his facetious tone served only to anger the redhead further.

"That's fine," Yurushi replied grimly. "If you don't want to talk, then I'll just cut the answers out of you."

"How deliciously dark," the menacing shinobi replied with a satisfied grin. "I wonder if you can follow through with your threat."

He wasn't in the mood for games. Yurushi took to the trees. Meeting his foe on the sturdy branch in the leafy canopy, the enflamed assault continued. The enemy began to employ blocks and counters with more frequency as the young Uzumaki attacked ceaselessly and together they climbed ever higher into the canopy. Once they settled on a sturdy branch the teen stabbed at the ninja before he could employ use of a jutsu. Immediately, Yurushi found the target had wheeled around his arm and entered the boy's guard.

Ducking beneath a kick, Yurushi blocked a punishing follow up with his right forearm and shoved the ninja's leg to the side. Flipping over his foe, he aimed a kick to the Kusa shinobi's head which was blocked. The enemy's arm wrapped itself around his leg with blinding speed and the teen was hurled some distance, smashing into another tree trunk. Yurushi dropped, hanging off the branch and coughing up small drops of blood. Raising his head to check his surroundings the genin couldn't catch his breath before rolling away from the unrelenting foot of his foe.

Unplanned, and slightly unexpected, the redhead found himself rolling right off the edge of the branch. Twisting in air, he determined not to go down alone and pushed crescent-shaped chakra from his sword as he swung. The energy sliced through the air cleaving the arm of the tree from its anchor. Continuing to spin midair Yurushi saw his only option to avoid falling to his death. Another branch was jutting into the path of his decent. It was small, and couldn't hold his weight for more than a moment. Charging chakra to his feet, Yurushi only needed a moment.

Using his chakra as a buffer to the force of his weight, he sprung off the small branch throwing himself backwards as the limb snapped. Aiming for the large oak behind him, Yurushi prepared to stick to the surface of the trunk. No sooner than landing did he discover a kunai embedded in the wood with a quickly burning paper bomb dangling from the pommel. Without much thought he abandoned the trunk for the earth below. An explosion ripped through the air sending chunks of flaming wood all around as the force of the blast sent him crashing back to the ground.

Scraped and bruised, left arm lit up with anguish, and now breathing harshly on his knees, Yurushi tried to recover before the onslaught could begin anew. Standing he was forced to immediately dodge a right hook and sidestep and open palm. He quickly countered, slashing at the midsection of the strange ninja, but there was no connection. Following up with a diagonal slash he allowed his chakra to envelop his blade once more, extending the edge to the length of a katana. His enemy quickly evaded the surprise attack and attempted to disengage.

Yurushi knew that continuing to rush into a close range brawl was dangerous, but allowing this foe to utilize any jutsu in his arsenal was deadly. Charging in, the swordsman was a flurry of action. He was cutting the very air as his sword continually struck nothing of value, and his condition was making him sloppy. The counter was sudden. Quickly flipping his wakizashi to utilize a reversed grip, Yurushi blocked a powerful kick from his opponent. The block may have negated real damage, but it still sent him flailing through the air a short distance, and then skidding across the ground.

"The resilience of the Uzumaki never ceases to amaze," the man said as he walked toward Yurushi with never fading confidence.

"What would you know of it?" The teen shouted in anger. His foe had been toying with him from the beginning, but now he was taunting him with information about his mother.

"Plenty," he answered smugly. "I fought many of your clan, and your mother was one of the best I ever encountered."

"Where is she?" Yurushi demanded. His anger was taking hold. Thinking of anything other than mauling the man to death unless he answered the question was all consuming. "Tell me!"

"In time," the man said as he flew through several hand seals. "All in good time."

He needed something to throw; something with more mass than his blade. Seeing his best option Yurushi discarded his sword and grabbed a log. It was thoroughly burnt, but still sturdy enough. So the young ninja hurled it at his enemy. The man continued undaunted. The teen however, rushed after the lumber sailing through the air. With his right hand now empty, he occupied it with a short series of hand seals. The Kusa ninja seemed to complete his technique, and ducked away from the log. Yurushi jumped and the Kawarimi was complete.

Replacing himself with the still flying log was a challenge. It required a fine tuned control over his chakra usage, and Yurushi only just managed it. Twisting his body in air, he lined his foot and connected it with the head of the sinister shinobi. The man was tossed to the side as the young ninja landed and quickly released the pressure of his seal. There was no time to adjust to the excess in speed.

Quickly, Yurushi found and reclaimed his sword. Such freedom of movement was foreign to him however, and his body was not satisfied without time to adjust. As he ran to dispatch his foe, the boy extended his left leg only for it to become tangled with right. Collapsing face first, the redhead rolled along the forest floor hitting every exposed root and stone jutting out of the earth until inertia finally won. The blade fell out of his hand, and the desperate teen tried to get his body to move.

Managing only turn around onto his back, Yurushi just caught a glimpse of fangs prepared to inject their venom. Instinctually he threw his arms out to protect his face and prayed only that it would be quick.

* * *

Waking with a dull throbbing in his head, Kenshi knew that something wasn't right. One second he was scouting out the bank of a nearby stream, and the next everything went black. The only thing he was certain of was that he had not fallen asleep on the job. Even if he wanted to disappoint Yurushi and Hanami like that, he sure as hell wouldn't fall asleep in a thistle of thorns. Crawling out of the barbed foliage, he tried to avoid as much damage as possible.

'_Someone must have snuck up on me,_' he concluded to himself while picking his arms and legs clean of thorns. He vowed that after this was over he would never wear shorts again. He tossed around the idea of wearing a jacket similar to Yurushi's; because even the long sleeves the shirt he was wearing didn't deter the longer thorns from breaking skin. Ultimately he rejected the idea, copying someone else's style didn't really appeal to him.

'_Whoever it was must have been really good,_' Kenshi determined as he stretched his body feeling out possible injuries. '_I never even knew I was being tailed_.'

That was a disturbing thought to the young blacksmith turned ninja. Why had he been followed? He wasn't too far away from camp when he was knocked out, so they must have known his team was nearby. The only reasonable idea he could think of was that they were isolating him from his team. It was a smart move when planning an ambush. Minimize the number of enemy combatants and drastically decrease the chance of reinforcements all that the same time.

Of course if they were trying to maximize the efficiency of an ambush, they would have killed him when they had a chance. That would be their mistake. Unless it was a fellow Konoha shinobi, Kenshi would have no problem striking down anyone who threatened his friends. Drawing his sword from over his shoulder he checked to see if it was in fighting condition. Satisfied, the young shinobi sheathed carefully navigated his way out of the bushes to gain his bearings.

Walking slowly along the forest floor he tried to get a sense of where north was, and where he was in relation to where he last remembered being. Finding the stream, he walked toward its banks and dipped down. He submerged his face into the freezing waters and took a healthy drink. It was utterly refreshing.

Reemerging from the small river he looked up in the canopy and tried to find the tree he had been perched in. Kenshi took a small canteen out of his kunai pouch and filled it while scanning the tree line. He felt pretty confident about a wide bodied trunk with a handful of low hanging branches. Dunking his head back into the water he drank deeply and let the current wash over his face. Rising to his feet he shook his shaggy brown hair dry. It used to be cut shorter, but between the days full of missions and training, getting his hair cut became a low priority.

Now his priority was getting back to his team and making sure that they stayed safe. Turning to leap up into the forest heights Kenshi heard a threatening growl. Appearing from the woods in front of him, an incredibly large tiger leapt at him. Kenshi rolled beneath the pounce, and turned to keep an eye on the creature.

"Of all the luck," Kenshi muttered to himself and gripped his sword tightly. "I hope you aren't dead set on having me for dinner, 'cause I really don't plan on being eaten."

Kenshi braced himself as the ravenous beast stalked forward and prepared to pounce. The young swordsman hoped that his team could hold on just a little while longer.

* * *

Fangs withdrew from flesh and Orochimaru felt a tinge of disappointment. The taste of leather stuck to his tongue, but there was the hint of success along with it. This boy was ever defiant. So very much like his mother. Yurushi dropped curled into a fetal position, clutching the bite mark near his right bicep. Orochimaru had been aiming for the boy's left shoulder at the base of the neck, but a hasty and desperate defense obscured the path to his target.

All things considered, Orochimaru was very satisfied with the outcome. The young ninja was not Uchiha Sasuke so he received the Chi no Juin as opposed to its counterpart. If things continued to develop the way he wanted, then he would have gained far more than he planned for. It was a windfall, and the rewards just continued to pour in.

Watching the boy writhe in absolute agony brought nothing but pleasure. The life force of the Uzumaki would ensure that he would endure. The boy wasn't part of his original plans, and Orochimaru had given up on the idea of ever finding the child of that Uzumaki woman from all those years ago. An opportunity presented itself and the black haired ninja was certain to seize it.

"Why?" The boy gritted. His red hair was matted with sweat, dirt, and all other evidence of his effort in battle. His struggle was to remain conscious, to resist the gift of power that he had been bestowed. It was too late for that now. Now, Uzumaki Yurushi would become a piece in a game by which Orochimaru would fundamentally change the world.

"Because you wish to know the truth," Orochimaru answered dismissively. He didn't care if the boy accepted his new fate or not, time would break the redhead to his will. "There is always a cost to pay, and this is your cost. I can give you the answers you seek, and in return you will serve me. I will return for you, and when I do you will join me."

With no more fight left in him Yurushi-kun fell into his pain induced sleep, and Orochimaru turned to leave. Uchiha Sasuke was waiting for him, and he needed to pay the boy a visit before Dosu and his little team could find the prodigious Uchiha. If he was late, then there was no doubt that even the might of the _Last Uchiha_ could not survive. Still, he didn't want all of the effort he had just spent to go to waste.

"Perhaps I can add a little incentive for you to join me," the predatory ninja commented to his newest recruit.

Slowly, with years of familiarity, a brown, mottled snake slinked its way out of his mouth. Once the serpent was free enough of his maw, the reptile regurgitated the hilt of a sword. The blade rose into the air until it fell freely from the unhinged jaw of Orochimaru's servant. Deftly, the disguised Sannin caught the double-edged jian while making an about face. After the snake retreated back into his mouth Orochimaru licked his lips in anticipation.

Walking away from the fallen Uzumaki, Orochimaru made his way across the battlefield. It had been entertaining. The Uzumaki always were full of surprises, and he hoped that the Uchiha he was seeking could live up to the standard that had been set. Of course, Yurushi had some help. If he read Sasuke correctly, that boy would take on the challenge alone. Help or not, Sasuke had better live up to expectations.

Stepping over the fallen wire that divided the clearing, Orochimaru advanced unchallenged. The girl in the group was an unexpected variable. She was of the Yukimura, the hair and the eyes left no doubt about that. Even with that background, she showed considerable skill. She was her father's daughter no doubt. Hideaki had been one of the potential recipients of the first variation of the Ten no Juin. He had power, skill, and unquenched ambition. He had also been orphaned and was so very trusting. Then, soon after becoming a chūnin, he left on a mission and was never the same.

Life had directed the boy, now a man, away from Orochimaru's grand experiment. What life had taken from him was returned with a different name and face. As the girl's still form drew closer the snake-eyed ninja decided to pay his former pupil a visit if time allowed. '_She would be ever so happy to see me again,_' the man thought to himself as he looked down at Hanami while she was peacefully resting from her injuries. '_I know I would just kill to see my favorite student one more time._'

The girl's death would be a tragic waste, but this world is cruel, and survival demands sacrifice. For a species to advance, many of its members needed to die. In nature it was not considered immoral, unethical, or evil. It was simply the way of things. Humanity's philosophies have blinded them to what mattered. Life and death was an eternal struggle between the entirety of humanity and the Shinigami. This conflict would span from the beginning of time immemorial until the very earth decays.

It would never stop, never slow, and never break. The cycle would continue for as long as humanity existed. There was no end to it. No natural one at least. If the cycle were to be broken it would need to be done from an outside force. Those whose lives were given for that cause would be heroes. Their memories would be treasured. Just as it should be.

"Such a pity," Orochimaru muttered as he brought back his sword to stab through the young girl's heart.

With swift and deadly precision the jian was brought back down to end young Hanami's life. The tip of the sword met firm resistance as it bit into something with a resounding clang. The masquerading Sannin cut a sharp glare at the one who had interfered with his plans only to see a genin had crossed blades with him.

The boy looked a little winded, from the mad sprint he no doubt took to return to his team. He was covered in dirt, and scrapes, and dried blood that did not belong to him. His face was painted with stripes of blood. It made him appear a tad more frightening, and had Orochimaru been prone to fear he might feel a small bit of some. He didn't though. In fact he found the war paint amusing. His shaggy hair did little to hide the confident smirk on his face or the fire that blazed deep in his brown eyes. This boy was a fighter. '_To the last I suppose,_' Orochimaru resigned to himself.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Kenshi said with a slight chuckle that detracted from the gravity of the situation he had just entered into. Such arrogance in the youth today, but Orochimaru would overlook it for now. The boy didn't know who he had just challenged. "I had a run in with a pretty nasty tiger back there."

Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh a little. Had the boy known that was the excuse he had just given the rest of his team, or did that actually happen? Irony was such a devious thing. He hadn't intended on killing the boy earlier, but since he had so graciously volunteered himself, Orochimaru felt compelled to oblige the request.


	24. The Last Stand

**Chapter 24: The Last Stand**

"In my dreams I see a man,

A man who's not afraid,

Of life and death." - House of Heroes, A Man Who's Not Afraid

* * *

Standing there, meeting the gaze of the Kusagakure ninja was a bit nerve-wracking. There was no time for fear though. The specter of death loomed over this place. Cold hands were reaching out to take the lives of his teammates, but Kenshi stood defiant. There was no need to be afraid. Not here, not in this place, and not from this ninja. The only thing that he would allow himself to feel was determination. His will was iron. Shaped, formed, and tested over the past year and a half. Kenshi's desire had never been stronger.

The desire to do what needed to be done. Even as his bones felt the strain from the force needed to block the shinobi's sword, he would not budge. Even if his arm snapped beneath his opponent's strength, he would not give ground. He kept pumping chakra into his weapon kept it from cracking, but just barely. His opponent was serious business, and judging by the sword he wielded, was not to be taken lightly. There was a brief moment of recognition, followed by a second of doubt. The teen quickly squashed the thought. In the end, it didn't matter who it was. This fight was about survival. Not his survival. Not the sinister looking ninja's survival. The only ones Kenshi was concerned about lay prone. One lay unconscious across the clearing, and another beneath crossed blades thirsting for blood.

His heart was racing. Anticipation was coursing through his veins. In a totally strange yet entirely familiar way, Kenshi felt alive. He could vaguely remember feeling this way before. A few times before actually. The first was when he fought against Sensei during the struggle to become a team. Hayate-sensei was letting him off easy, but it didn't feel like it. Every cut, every counter, and every minute during the fight felt as though it would be his last. The same thundering filled his heart in the mission to Yokkaichi. Held at knife point, inches from death, but buzzing with excitement. Right now was eerily similar as his blood boiled with anxiousness and anticipation.

A snap. A crack. Kenshi shot a glance down, not wanting to take his eye off the shifty ninja for too long. The sword of the Kusa shinobi was cutting through his blade in an attempt to free itself from the tree it had stabbed. Slowly, the edge worked its way through the folded, forged metal of his favorite sword. He knew he should feel insulted. His ninjatō was not of inferior quality. He was a Muramasa; his very soul was made of tempered steel. Making the highest quality weapon was the same as breathing, it felt natural. At least when this is over with he'd have an excuse to make a new sword. Not that he needed any assistance, but he hoped that he could con his brother into helping.

The way the enemy's weapon was positioned once the sword cut through, his arm would follow momentum in a horizontal slash across the chest. Kenshi would be cut deeply, but may avoid a fatal strike if he was lucky. His luck had run out though. He knew that when the humongous tiger showed up a while ago. Still, even for only the briefest of moments, his foe would be off balance.

With all of the haste he could muster, Kenshi cut off his chakra flow and sidestepped out of the way. The adversary's weapon sliced through the metal of his sword as though it wasn't there. The sudden movement did have the desired effect. While his opponent was off balance, Kenshi grabbed the fallen metal of his once proud blade. He quickly threw the bisected edge at his foe's face and turned to grab Hanami. Taking the girl in his arms he ran.

As fast as his legs could carry him, he darted behind a large tree and propped his unconscious friend against its base. It was similar to before, but she was further away now. The teen figured that she would be safe enough. He couldn't wait around though, Yurushi was still vulnerable. Running around the outskirts of the glade Kenshi caught sight of his opponent. He stood and seemed to be searching for him, but likely already knew where he was. Kenshi decided to take the opening that was given.

On the run, Kenshi threw several kunai at the man as he wove between the trees of the Shi no Mori. Each one rang against metal. If he had acutally thought about using kunai, he would have prepped a few with exploding tags. From the corner of his eye he saw movement. In seconds, the ninja was running alongside him, grinning wickedly. Kenshi flipped above the swipe of the sword, and came skidding to a stop. Dancing around the sharpened metal, Kenshi felt a surge of strength.

One misstep; that was all it would take. Kenshi could feel his reflexes sharpen. All of his senses were in overdrive. He could feel subtle shifts in the air, he could smell the moisture in the wind, he could taste the sweat of the ninja from Kusa, and he could hear the blood pumping through his veins. Everything was crisper, cleaner, and more precise than it had ever been. In the back of his mind he knew that he was working on some sort of high, and whenever the crash happened, it would be hard.

Blocking the next attack at the wrist, Kenshi threw a punch toward the straw hat ninja's rib cage. He gained a glancing blow, but it was enough to throw the man aside and race toward Yurushi's fallen form. The strange man was hot on his heels, diving toward the one thing that could bring about his salvation. Kenshi grasped the hilt of Yurushi's wakizashi and rolled into a crouch. He turned just in time to see that he needed to dive out of the way. Kunai peppered the ground where he was, and as soon as the young weapon designer rose to his feet he was back on the defensive.

Kenshi raised the smaller sword into the air so the flat of the blade met the edge of his opponent's sword. Chakra was surging through his friend's favored weapon. It was a mighty river and the powerful current of energy was the only thing keeping death at bay. The length of his foe's weapon was staggering. It had nearly quadrupled, quickly closing the distance between them. The added reach had done nothing to detract from its sharp threat. Even now the animalistic ninja was wielding the added length with well practiced ease.

Kenshi was forced to one knee. All of his strength was going into keeping the metal in his hands from being cleaved in two. This sword held just as much sentimental value to Yurushi as his own, now broken, ninjatō. He would not lose this sword. He would not lose this fight. He would not lose his friends. In the time it took to blink, a kunai was in the air flying to him. With no time to dodge and no way to block it, Kenshi leaned in a way to keep the impact to a minor flesh wound.

Scratching at his right shoulder, the wound stung. It was a pain that he could handle. He had faced worse than that before. There was no time to think about it though. The length of metal he was defending himself against was retracted. The smirk that his enemy wore was far too prideful. The man chuckled to himself, but Kenshi was ready for whatever games this guy wanted to play next.

"You haven't realized it yet," the Kusagakure shinobi pronounced with sick joy, "but this fight is over. No matter what happens, you will die."

'_Like that matters,_' Kenshi disclosed to himself. His heart was racing. Do or die, life or death, it was all the same. He was a shinobi, and his mission was much more important than his own life right now. '_I'm a Muramasa dammit! Death is my stock and trade!"_

* * *

Orochimaru had continued to be impressed. If the boy didn't have to die, then he would have been perfectly content with trying to recruit the feisty young ninja. The generation of shinobi that surrounded his prize was astounding. There were so many young talents that hopefully would have propelled Uchiha Sasuke to be truly great among his peers. Within the Uchiha greatness is the norm, but even a prodigy can get lazy without a challenge. That boy had been alive long enough to understand what his family had expected of him. Still, this swordsman's death needed to happen before he could divert his full attention.

"That's just fine," the brown eyed boy answered calmly. "If I'm gonna die, then I just have to make sure to take you with me."

"Such insolence," Orochimaru teased beneath his guise. "If you only knew who you were dealing with."

"It wouldn't change a thing," the Muramasa boy answered. Orochimaru had heard of that clan before, but never had he known the family of sword makers and blacksmiths to produce a ninja. There had been several throughout their history, but time had done away with their shinobi heritage. There was something special to them, but he couldn't put a finger on what that was.

"Is that so?" He responded eying the child dangerously. The boy wasn't a threat, but Orochimaru hadn't made it this far by taking unnecessary chances. The child would die, but he would allow the genin to decide the exact nature of that death.

"Yeah," Kenshi answered matter-of-factly. "Even if I had no idea who you were, I'd still be fighting one of the Sannin, wouldn't I?"

"A Sannin? You think I'm one of the Sannin?" The serpentine ninja was slightly dumbfounded. There was no way a mere genin would be able to see through his disguise, let alone know who he really was beneath the _borrowed_ face.

"I know exactly who you are Orochimaru," the boy seemed far too smug about his knowledge. "You can't fool me either! You are wielding Kusanagi no Tsurugi. If I know one thing I know legendary swords."

"I underestimated you boy," the agitated Sannin was forgoing his efforts to mask his true voice. To think he had been identified by only his weapon. He'd have to be sure not to use it until he fought against Sensei. "I assure you, that is a mistake I will not be making again."

"Alright old man," Kenshi smiled at his small victory. The most wanted criminal in all of Konohagakure no Sato would let the child have his moment of success. It would be his last. "If you wanna throw down, then let's do it!"

The boy sprung forward with shocking speed. Sharply he changed direction, attacking from the left flank rather than straight forward. Blocking the strike of the boy's sword Orochimaru began running through possible explanations to Kenshi's remarkable speed. It was nothing that the infamous ninja couldn't handle, but he needed to understand the nature of the technique in play. Every jutsu had a weakness, every technique had a fault, and this boy's speed was no different. Since the fight started, the child had only gotten faster, stronger, and more in control.

'_His chakra is continuing to rise,_' the scientist in him was deducing several theorems and possibilities, but no answers were stepping to the forefront. '_Both the potency and reserves of his chakra are still peaking. You are quite the specimen Kenshi-kun. I think I will just have to study your corpse when this is through._'

Deflecting sharpened metal, bending beneath, and stepping around young Kenshi's attacks, Orochimaru was analyzing. The boy's physical prowess had jumped by leaps and bounds in the past few minutes. Even the glancing strike the child had scored against him still ached a bit. Kenshi was a flurry of activity. The boy lashed against him from every angle there was a perceived opening. Their battle was tight, compacted into the small space never more than two meters from where Orochimaru stood.

From what he could tell, Orochimaru felt fairly certain that the genin was working his body well beyond its capacity. It was still unclear what technique was being used to push the body above its limits. Answers would reveal themselves. Right now Orochimaru was curious about how long it would take for the poison to take hold.

Blocking a swipe at his neck, the devious Sannin twisted his wrist so the tip of Kusanagi was pointed at his immature advisory. The blade extended quickly forcing the boy to put distance between them. Orochimaru decided to press the advantage. Retracting the sword to a normal length, quick slashes were made along the Kenshi's left leg and right arm. It was nothing grievous, but it was enough to put some fear back into the child's face.

Blades locked again. The disguised shinobi tried to cut through the last defense the brown haired boy had, but to no avail. The amount of chakra that was being channeled through the metal was staggering. He was no sensory type ninja, but even he could tell there was more energy flowing through the small sword than most genin had access to. Intellectual curiosity was making Orochimaru hungry with anticipation. He just had to know all of the secrets that were hidden away in that young body. It would be a nice pet project while waiting for the exams to end. The Sannin decided to remain relatively defensive through the remainder of their fight. It was best to see the boy's capabilities first hand for reference material.

"I wonder how much longer you will last," Orochimaru mused as he increased the pressure against Kenshi's defense. To his credit, the boy held fast. "The poison doesn't feel like much right now, and that's if you even feel anything at all. Perhaps you're feeling a stinging, burning, or an itching sensation in your shoulder? Or maybe not. Either way it's only a matter of time."

"You don't say?" The Muramasa grinned. "You can't scare me though."

"You don't say?" The snake summoner mocked. "You aren't afraid to die?"

"I'm a Muramasa," the child explained as he strained to uphold his guard. "I fear neither pain nor death."

"Everyone fears death," Orochimaru was more intrigued. It was either a well rehearsed mantra of his clan, or a genuine outlook on life. "It is a bleak void. An all consuming nothingness. Once you cross over the veil, you lose everything you are, and then you become a phantom. A nonentity, searching for purpose in a place that has none. There is no return. No reincarnation. Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Prove it," the boy dared. How very interesting. Defensive strategy tossed aside, Orochimaru struck against the side of the child's knee with his foot. The boy dropped down and looked up to adjust his guard but it was too late. The sword would strike true. Homing in on Kenshi's neck, the kill would be quick and clean. Kenshi was defiant still, and he swatted at Kusanagi causing it to pierce the left shoulder. To his credit, the genin only winced in pain.

Before he could withdraw the blade and strike again, Kenshi gripped Orochimaru's wrist, squeezing it tightly. The child's strength was phenomenal. Waves of chakra were rolling off Kenshi as his strength continued to climb to greater and greater heights. Were it anywhere close to matching his own level of strength or skill, then Orochimaru would be nervous. As it was, the potential threat was easily manageable. The Sannin let go of his sword and kicked the boy away.

Standing, far more steadily than someone in his position should, Kenshi grabbed the hilt of Kusanagi and threw it away. The treasured sword embedded itself in a tree all the way to the hilt. Whatever technique this boy was using had to have come with a high price. The research that he would conduct would give the genin's death greater value. That was what mattered. Death needed to have a purpose. It needed to advance the cause. Humanity needed to continue to evolve.

If it did not then death was meaningless. If it did not then life was wasted.

"You're rather persistent, aren't you?" Orochimaru questioned.

"I just can't let you hurt my friends anymore," Kenshi answered as he prepped to attack again. "If I let you walk away, you'll just keep hurting more people."

"What if I were actually helping them?" The snake queried. Testing the boy's resolve on the psychological level was almost as entertaining as testing him physically. "How much do you really know about me? How much has been told to you from the propaganda of the village leaders?"

"It doesn't matter what they said," the child returned with rising fury. His voice was becoming raspy, as though he hadn't had water in months. It was just another small sign that the poison was spreading. It was spreading much faster than normally. That was a symptom that was to show hours from now, not minutes. "You attacked my friends and that is all I need to know."

"Foolish child," Orochimaru chided. "You should have left well enough alone, but now I'm going to kill you. It will be painful, and when I'm done your friends will join you."

The boy charged, blind with rage. Orochimaru flicked his fingers. Kusanagi withdrew from where it was stuck and held it aloft with but a thought. An invisible connection relayed the commands, and guided the blade as though it were wielded by a ghost. As the Sannin gracefully weaved through the storm of metal that was aimed at him, Orochimaru twitched his fingers ever so slightly. The boy didn't pick up on the movement, but as the sword darted through the air Kenshi still managed to deflect the sword flying toward his heart.

Orochimaru jumped over the boy suddenly. Reaching out and took the hilt into his hand and twisted, bringing the sharpened edge across the boy's back. The cries of pain were a symphony of pleasure. Orochimaru landed deftly and maneuvered just outside of the child's range. Not that Kenshi was pursuing an attack. Rather, at the moment, the boy was doubled over in pain. The deep gash between the shoulder blades was pouring, and he patiently waited for his opponent to return to the fight.

"I can't let you hurt my friends anymore," Kenshi seethed as he slowly returned to his feet. There seemed to be no end to the child's ability. Chakra appeared to be gushing out of his body like blood from his fresh wound. It tainted the air with power, and the overflow continued to rise. Orochimaru took a defensive stance as he waited for Kenshi to move. Steam rolled from his skin. Sweat was evaporating as his body desperately tried to cool itself down.

In a blink the genin was upon him. Swords clashed with a power that Orochimaru hadn't felt in ages. The last time he had come this close to using the true extent of his skill was when he fought that fool Jiraiya. As the tragic hero maneuvered around their battlefield looking for a way through his ironclad defense, Orochimaru spotted something. It was telling and revealed the exact cause of how Kenshi became an ever growing threat.

The skin had taken on a blood red hue, eyes were pure white, and veins bulged near the temples. It was the telltale sign of the Hachimon being opened. The first two had eluded him because the visible signs were low, and Kenshi didn't open the Hachimon the traditional ways taught in Konohagakure. There was indeed something special about this child, and once he could study the child's corpse he would find out what was so unique about Kenshi.

As he floated between hasty strikes, Orochimaru began to run calculations in his head. The increased heart rate that Kenshi was experiencing would hasten the spread of the poison by leaps and bounds. As more of the chakra limiting gates opened, Kenshi's body performed far beyond its natural levels. The fewer the limits, the greater the power, and the less time the boy had left to live.

Clashing once more, the child was trying to look fearsome, but his eyes seemed to be having a difficult time staying open. Muscles would become more difficult to control as the paralysis was setting in. Right now, the effects were mildly harmless. In ten minutes the child would be suffering from potentially fatal side-effects. The breakdown of the muscles would only be accelerated by the power the child was tapping into.

"This is your last chance Kenshi-kun," Orochimaru taunted pleasantly. "Leave now and you might live."

"It doesn't matter if I leave or stay," Kenshi answered shifting his weight trying to force the Sannin off balance. It didn't work the way the boy planned. Orochimaru leaned back, allowing the metal to pass overhead. He kicked the boy square beneath the jaw as he planted a hand on the ground, flipping backward off his hand. The child was stirring on the ground, and Orochimaru waited patiently.

"It doesn't matter if I live or die," the daring genin continued as he slowly stood, using his sword as a crutch. He charged, ducking beneath the stretching edge of Kusanagi. The dancing of blades was likely an elegant display. Kenshi was so forceful and direct, but that description belied his skill. Blocks, shunts, parries, and counters were all employed with near perfect timing. Slithering around the child's defenses Kusanagi aimed to bite exposed flesh.

Kenshi's attack shifted to guard, but overcorrected his positioning and quickly found a fist in his face. The boy rag dolled along the forest floor before stopping on his stomach. The snake was beginning to get bored waiting. Just as he turned to leave chakra erupted from the motionless form lying in the dirt. Hands shifted, arms quivered as the child attempted to lift his body weight. Kenshi came to one knee and stopped to catch his breath.

"I don't have to survive this fight," such passion behind the child's voice. He had a goal, and he was bound and determined to accomplish it. If this boy had been allowed to mature, he would be a true threat. "All I have to do is keep them safe."

Orochimaru smiled broadly. It had been so long since he had faced the Shōmon, and he was interested to see how the boy would utilize all that excess chakra flowing through his system.

* * *

Nothing felt right. Actually, he felt powerful enough to destroy all of Kumogakure. Even so, nothing felt right. Kenshi was having difficulty moving the way he wanted to. Simple motor function was becoming increasingly difficult. He could no longer fight with the finesse that the majority of his kenjutsu required. Certain muscles didn't respond to his commands, and the rest of them ached horribly.

The long black hair fluttered in the breeze, and the soulless eyes of the shinobi in front of him studied him carefully. Orochimaru didn't abandon his disguise. Probably for the best. The Sannin was scary stuff. The way that the older generation of shinobi talked about him made the man seem as though he could kill you with a glance. Possibly true, but Kenshi didn't want to try it out.

What he wanted was to keep the guy from going anywhere other than six feet deep. The legendary ninja was about to walk away, thinking that he was out for the count. Kenshi mentally scoffed at the idea. He was far from gone. As long as he could hold a sword, there was nothing that could keep him from fighting.

"Come then," Orochimaru beckoned. "Defeat me if you can. It's the only way to keep your friends safe."

Kenshi got a clever idea. Throwing the wakizashi at the fearsome shinobi's face freed his hands. With a speed he hadn't dreamed himself capable of, his hands blurred through the necessary seals to mold chakra. Slamming his palms into the ground, the ground beneath the Sannin's feet shook. A pillar of earth carried the man up into the treetops, and the sword stuck into the mixture of clay and dirt as both climbed higher and higher.

Darting toward the freshly constructed tower of earth, Kenshi climbed to meet his foe in the canopy above. Grabbing the sword he threw, the genin jumped from the pillar to a nearby tree branch and spring boarded further up. Passing the back of his target, Kenshi flew through the air until he came to rest on an intersecting tree limb. Running along the limb to the trunk he raced down until he was just above level height with his mark. Pushing off, with sword ready, Kenshi rocketed to meet Orochimaru.

The Sannin was more ready than he had appeared to be. Sword met sword, but the pair were carried away by the force of momentum that Kenshi had built. The smile the man was wearing was ticking the genin off. Orochimaru grabbed him by the back collar and twisted so that Kenshi would be the first to make impact against whatever they ran into. He wouldn't wait for that.

Grabbing hold of the Sannin's wrist, Kenshi brought his sword to cut off the fabric in the ninja's hands. Taking advantage of the situation, Kenshi twisted his body and threw the deadly opponent by the arm that he held. Orochimaru was forced to the ground below, and landed violently. Eventually, Kenshi reached out and grabbed the trunk of a tree with chakra in the palm. Swinging around the tower of bark, he had to let go before his arm was ripped out of its socket.

With a much more gentle descent, Kenshi touched down somewhere pretty far off from the clearing that his team was calling home. The woods were scary during the day with the wide variety of plants and animals that seemed to want to kill any intruder. At night, every shadow hid a potential threat. His heart was pounding. The storm in his mind was swirling around the decision to either stay put or go find his target. Kenshi couldn't decide what was best.

It didn't take long before he had to sidestep a figure lunging at him from the shadows. Orochimaru was upon him with a fury. Kenshi spun on his heels after blocking a strike aimed to cut into his side. The teen tried to sweep the legs of the infamous foe, but his attack was anticipated as Orochimaru hopped above the outstretched leg. Kenshi quickly continued the spin, and brought his body around before jumping into another kick.

His foot struck against the cross armed guard of his opponent, but the attack put a good deal of distance between them as Orochimaru skidded to a stop. Kenshi darted between the cover of trees with all of the haste he could summon. Maneuvering behind his opponent, Kenshi lunged forward to cut the head off the snake. The movement of the undergrowth must have given away his position. The man ducked and let him pass right over. The young swordsman tried to stop as quickly as possible, and turned in time to parry the vicious edge of Kusanagi.

Wasting no time Kenshi pushed the lengthened blade of the legendary sword away and circled around his foe. Seeing the blade retract, the genin decided to stop and try something else. Stabbing the earth, Kenshi performed a series of hand seals before placing his hands in the grass. The jutsu took effect as the hardened dirt and clay formed a boxed in wall around the threat. It wouldn't hold him for long, but the man had treated everything Kenshi had done with a degree of curiosity.

Running toward the makeshift prison, Kenshi cycled through more chakra molding hand exercises. He was carefully watching the upper edge of the wall to make sure the ninja didn't escape. Hopping over a few roots, Kenshi finally arrived at the wall, technique primed. Slamming his hands against the wall his chakra flooded out of him. He couldn't see the results, but the way the essence of his power moved let him know that it was successful. The earthen walls hardened further. Sections of the wall erupted as spikes, filling the space where Orochimaru was, and everywhere he could have been.

"Clever boy," the voice echoed all around him. Kenshi knew he had failed, and what's more Yurushi's sword had been abandoned to perform the jutsu. He was in trouble, and he knew it. "Although, I wonder how much longer you'll be able to stand."

This poison was a joke. He hadn't felt a single adverse effect since the initial swelling. It was difficult to move in certain ways, perhaps the results of the toxins, but it could also be his body was finally giving way to whatever was giving him his strength. It made little difference at this point. The _poison_ was a bunch of psychobabble designed to throw him off his game. Sensei had warned him that some ninja preferred to attack the mind rather than the body.

Shifting gears, he focused on what he needed right now. '_Alright, the creep didn't die from that,_' Kenshi thought while scanning every nook and cranny for his slippery opponent. '_No surprise there I guess. I need that sword, but he knows that I'll go for it the first chance I get. He's just waiting me out. If I make a move, he might come out from wherever he's hiding._'

Tentatively he took a step backward. Followed by another, and then another. Without skipping a beat he shot forward toward the weapon he had left behind. It wasn't long until he tripped on a gnarled root snaking in and out of the dirt. Kenshi rolled, slamming to a stop against a hefty boulder. The jagged edges of the rock dug into the gaping wound along his back, erupting pain through his body.

Kenshi sat up, breathing was difficult. Each gasp of air was a challenge all its own, and the pain in his back was blinding. There was nothing that he could compare it too. It was almost like accidently touching the fiery iron of a still cooling blade. Only the burning wouldn't leave as he tried to let go. Sitting around waiting for Orochimaru to strike wouldn't do any good. Trying to stand was a struggle unlike anything he had faced before. This was the result when fighting someone beyond your ability.

"Oh my," the immaterial voice rang out in the deep of the woods. "I wonder what could be keeping you from standing up. Have the muscles in your legs degraded to a point where you can no longer use them, or has the paralysis taken hold?"

Panic was all he could feel as he heard footsteps closing in. His legs wouldn't budge. He couldn't feel much of anything, just pain. Could this really be the poison, or had his body simply begun to fail him. Either way, now was not the best of times. Kenshi knew that it would cost him, but he was trying to dig deep and pull out every ounce of strength left in him. Even if the well had run dry, he would dig deeper and find more water. Failure was not an option here.

Rising to one knee, Kenshi breathed a little easier. Pulling the rest of his body up by climbing up the large rock seemed to help in finding his legs. Looking down at his feet, he stared at them as if to will them into service. Finally, he stood. Looking ahead his heart sunk. Orochimaru stood, not but two feet away, smiling with a masochistic glee.

"My, my, my," the devious bastard mocked as he drew his sword arm back for the finishing blow, "you really are something special Kenshi-kun. Rather, you _were_ something special."

There was no escaping this one. His heart was drumming violently. Kenshi thought it would burst free from its container. A surge of power washed over him, but even that was not enough to make his legs move him out of harm's way. Everything seemed to slow down for a few precious seconds. The sword inched closer. It aimed to end the racing in his chest. The only thing he could think of, the only thing he could do while facing down his own personal doom bringer, was tilt his upper body to the left.

The metal bit into him, but he felt nothing. Orochimaru frowned, and Kenshi reveled in his little victory. The moment wouldn't last long, and he acted quickly before his foe could adjust to his rising prowess. Orochimaru withdrew his weapon from his bleeding flesh and tried to put distance between them, but Kenshi grabbed hold of the man's ankles before he leapt to safety.

The swordsman focused all his might on keeping his balance. For a brief moment, his legs responded to his will, and Kenshi used that moment for all it was worth. Orochimaru fell to the ground, ankle still captive in his grip. Kenshi ran forward as fast as he could before spinning around on his heel. He released his prisoner when he felt his speed peak, and sent the villain crashing through several trees. Orochimaru, and the sounds of his flight, disappeared into the night. The man was gone, flung far into the maze of trees, and with any luck far enough away to where it wasn't worth coming back.

Kenshi knew his luck had run out though. He fell as his legs went limp. He needed to get back to camp. If Orochimaru did return, his team would need his help in defeating the legend. The snake was way too much for any one person, except for Hokage-sama. Even if the greatest threat to Konoha didn't come back, his teammates were still vulnerable to attack. They needed him still.

"Dammit," Kenshi muttered. "My legs are useless."

Undeterred, he started crawling back toward camp. Suddenly, the blacksmith stopped. He realized something. Laughing to himself he started to turn around and crawl away from where he had been heading. "I can't believe it," he said to himself, still chuckling at the notion. "I almost forgot Yurushi's sword."

Camp could wait a little longer. He couldn't leave that weapon behind. Yurushi was just like him. That sword was Yurushi's life, just like his own sword had been. It was treasured. It was precious. As far as he was concerned, it was worth the extra effort. His friends were always worth the extra effort.

* * *

Luck. Blind luck. That was the only way to describe it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the luck was extended in both directions. The boy had gotten lucky. Somehow, someway, the child had opened the Tomon. The very notion that a person could access the power of the Hachimon without learning how to properly open them was a tantalizing secret. Luck had graced Kenshi-kun with the power needed to keep him at bay for a time.

Rising slowly from the collection of debris he was buried in, Orochimaru recognized the luck that he had also received. Kenshi could have grabbed his throat and snapped his neck. The boy could have smashed his head against the rock that was nearby. Instead, the genin chose to throw him as far away as possible. This allowed Orochimaru to reinforce his body with chakra to brace for the several impacts that he endured during his flight. His present body was not fragile, but it was certainly not indestructible. His recruiting was done for now. He would waste no more time on unnecessary targets.

Yurushi was, honestly, a target of opportunity. The boy was simply there, and the uncanny connection to his mother was terribly obvious. All things considered, it would have been a disservice to the child's mother had he not followed through with giving her son the Chi no Juin. Having been out of practice for over a year, she was still able to fight with him for hours. Her legacy was not robbed by the Akatsuki entirely. Her death could serve greater purpose still.

Uzumaki Yurushi would make a great sparring partner for Uchiha Sasuke, and an excellent backup, should something go wrong. The life-force of the Uzumaki, combined with their incredible chakra reserves might even provide a way for him to utilize the entirety of his power within a host body. Still, that was planning too far ahead. Sasuke needed to be within his grasp before he could consider any other possibilities. All caution considered, he had not yet been denied his prize.

Emerging from the coffin of felled trees, Orochimaru could only wince at the several aches and pains within his bones. That attack could have been far more damaging. Briefly he considered returning for Kusanagi. The sword responded to his mental command, but it was too far out of range at the moment. Otherwise he could retrieve it with a thought. He decided to send someone else to fetch it later, along with the Muramasa's body. Movement in the leaves above caught his attention.

"Orochimaru-sama," one of his servants appeared before him, kneeling in submission.

"Yes, Ginjo," the Sannin addressed him dismissively wiping shards of wood off his shoulders. The man was competent enough to know he hadn't been harmed, competent enough to pose as his genin squad mate for this mission. Hopefully that competence prevailed, because time was of the essence now. He had spent too much of it playing with Kenshi-kun.

"I've found him," the man replied without looking up. Such an obedient boy. Always eager to please. Perhaps it was time he was rewarded with the gift of power he had been asking for. Ginjo wanted the Ten no Juin. There was little difference between the two cursed seals. One was more powerful, and the other was more versatile. Both could be deadly if not applied properly, or if the recipient's chakra network rejected the seal. Ginjo wasn't going to survive the process, but if that was really what he wanted, then Orochimaru decided it was time to oblige his request.

"Excellent, show me where Sasuke-kun is," Orochimaru ordered gently. "I mustn't keep him waiting any longer."


	25. Desperation!

**Chapter 25: Desperation!**

"Every age yearns for a more beautiful world. The deeper the desperation and the depression about the confusing present, the more intense that yearning." - Johan Huizinga

* * *

It was dark, so very dark. Her eyes were open, but she couldn't see a thing. The world was an abyss, and she tried to pierce through it, but nothing could. All she could do was watch and wait. She didn't even know what she was waiting for, but she knew that she was waiting for something or someone. For what seemed like hours, she sat, staring into that cold, dark void.

Suddenly, the abyss looked back. Two eyes, gazed with harsh judgments. They were angry with her. Though she tried to reason why they were wrong, she knew the truth. Their frustration was justified. She could not stand before the weight of that silent wrath. The phantom orbs took shape and began to become more defined. Both were crimson, but so very different. They were looking at her as though they shared the same face.

On the left, the red was broken up by the slow spin of three tomoe. At first the eye seemed impassive, but she knew better. She had seen that look before. It was a focused and calculated rage that always burned just beneath the surface. It had always been there, and she had always ignored it. She had hoped and prayed that the flames of his anger would smolder and die. Ever did that pyre blaze. It was a contained fire that never would go out, but there was no telling if it would break free of its confines. His anger would consume him without the proper outlet, and if he never found that outlet and his rage boiled over there was no telling what could happen.

On the right, the crimson was defined by a slit pupil. This eye was new to her. She had seen it before, but it was such a fresh memory. It sprung into existence and found life on a face that she believed such a regard did not belong. It was fury manifest, animalistic, wild, and free. The chaos of his wrath was so foreign to his persona. Yet, one or the other was the truth; the _real_ him. Either his anger was something that had overcome him in the heat of the moment, or his normal behavior was worn like a mask; a mask that would hide the raw and primal emotions that ruled him in secret. Being totally honest, she didn't know which these ideas frightened her more.

"Sakura," the sound of their voices were unforgiving. The eyes were laced with malcontent. Slowly the unseen specters took shape. The image of her teammates was becoming outlined in the darkness. Her accusers stood side by side, in total agreement with their thoughts of her.

"S-S-Sasuke," she muttered, stumbling over the name with her shame and fear, "N-N-Naruto."

"You left us," they echoed each other. Sasuke's face became clearer first. It was difficult to pick up on, the monotone of their words, but she could tell. Even without the obvious clues, she could hear it in his voice. He was full of hurt and the pain that he had suffered. The pain that he had lived with for more than half of his life now. "You left us alone to die."

"You could have helped us," they continued. Their voices emotionless, but their words cut through her with cruel precision. "You should have helped us."

"We were fighting for our lives," they spoke in tandem. Naruto's face became clear. The birthmarks on his cheeks that resembled whiskers were deeper, more defined. His hair was wild and unruly. When he spoke she could see the gleaming fangs that were ready to rend flesh from bone. He looked less like himself and more like a force of nature that had taken human form.

"You did nothing Sakura," they accused.

"B-B-But I was," She was searching for a reason. Looking for some explanation that she knew she would never find.

"You were watching," Sasuke said. "You stood by and let us bleed for you."

"You always did let us fight your battles for you," Naruto agreed.

Their voices were without inflection. It sounded like they didn't care, but their eyes held so much hatred. Sakura felt as though her soul was being crushed under the weight of their judgments. Naruto's words with his dry, raspy, inflectionless voice nearly broke her. Even he had seen her weakness. Someone who had once said that he could put his confidence in her had now admitted how that trust was misplaced.

She cried. It was all she could do. Everything they said was true. Every last word. She stood by and let them fight against Orochimaru. She had read the books. She knew the stories. He was a trained killer, the best of the best. Yet when her emerald eyes met those golden serpentine orbs, the blood drained from her face. It was like looking into the face of death, and she couldn't take it.

The way he moved, the way he spoke, the way he fought was all so far beyond a genin's level. It was unfathomable. The difference between them was like a drop of water and the fullness of the ocean. What was she against someone like that? Sasuke and Naruto had absolutely no hope of winning, but even in the face of certain death they stood their ground. Sakura stood in fear.

"You did nothing," Sasuke's blank voice rang in her ears as she wept.

"You stood by and let us fight alone," Naruto continued. His frigid tone was alien, and it hurt to hear it.

"You did nothing, and we died for you," their voices started to merge into one.

"You are weak," she heard her teammates say between the sounds of her own sobbing. "You are useless. You are nothing."

With fright, and a desperate gasp of air she awoke. Rubbing her eyes she could feel the tears still streaming down her now dry cheeks. '_It was only a bad dream. Just a dream,_' she told herself as she rose from her makeshift bed. She had fallen asleep again. Rest was an activity she was trying to avoid. It wasn't safe for her or her teammates if she was not awake. It had only been eight hours since the attack before she dozed off, but there was no telling how much time she had lost just now. Studying her helpless friends she felt her mind wander to what they said in her nightmare. How much of that did they really feel? How much did they consider true? Did Sasuke-kun _and_ Naruto believe her to be so weak and useless?

'_No time to think about that,_' she scolded herself for spending that much thought about a bad dream.

Reaching down she grabbed the wet cloths she had placed on her teammate's foreheads. The back of her hand rested against the burning skin of the Uchiha prodigy. Whatever Orochimaru had done to him left him with a burning fever. She had no way of knowing for sure, but the temperature had to be dangerous by her speculation. She laid a freshly damp cloth on his head and hoped that the fever would break soon.

Naruto's fever didn't seem so bad, but she wasn't sure what had caused it. She didn't even know what Orochimaru had done to the blond. For that matter, Sakura wasn't even sure what jutsu Naruto had been using to produce so much power. There was nothing like it to compare to. It certainly did feel familiar though, sort of like the energy that she felt on the bridge in Nami no Kuni. Whatever power the guy had tapped into was pretty serious stuff, and however that evil man had stopped it was equally serious.

'_Naruto,_' she looked on the blond with concern, '_what have you gotten yourself into?_'

Sakura stood, and tried to fix her long pink tresses. They probably looked a mess, but raking her fingers through them would be the best fix up they would get for a while. No matter what those two boys had told her in her dream, they needed her right now. Until they woke up and got better, she was their first and last line of defense. That thought gave her pause.

She had skills, but those skills wouldn't stand up against the other genin in the exams. Her taijutsu wasn't terrible, but most of the other contestants were bigger, faster, and stronger than her. Their advantage. She had a few jutsu tucked under her sleeves, but they were techniques that every ninja learned. Also their advantage. Sakura thought about genjutsu. She could spot one, and knew how to break free of its control, but she never studied how to use it for combat. It just wasn't interesting to her. Now she was wishing she had taken Kakashi-sensei on his offer to teach her at least the basics. She was now the first and last line of defense, and didn't feel like her skills could save her, let alone her teammates.

'_That's it!_' She exclaimed in a moment of sheer genius. '_I don't want to chance having to fight someone until Sasuke-kun and Naruto are better, so I'll just add more lines of defense._'

She took a mental inventory of the team supplies, and a quick survey of the landscape around her. There wasn't too much, but she could make it work. If she was efficient enough she could add several really good ones, and perhaps a multi-layered one. She had her game plan. It would take a few hours, but she had a plan. Several plans really. She was going to riddle the area with all sorts of traps.

She might not feel too confident about her hopes of surviving a fight all by herself, but she had a solution. The pink haired teen was just going to make sure that her enemies didn't survive while trying to get to her. She was the first and last line of defense, and she wasn't going to give anyone a chance at testing that defense.

* * *

Travel through the forest was slow. Not in physical speed, but in the realm of engaging activity. There was almost nothing to do except jump to the next branch. There was nothing to see except more of the same old looking trees. There was nothing to hear except Zaku's lame attempts at humor, or Dosu's constant rebuke of anything that was said. Kin was bored. Thoroughly and utterly bored.

At least the last exam had them trying to gather information as discreetly as possible. This exam had been nothing but a walk in the park. Quite literally. This _park_ was supposed to be incredibly dangerous, but there had been nothing as of yet that lived up to the name Shi no Mori. It was kind of a letdown. Kin was really looking forward to the excitement that was built up for this exam. They hadn't even seen another team yet.

Pushing off of one branch following after her two teammates, she realized that it was probably for the best that they hadn't. After all, they were on a mission. It was a simple mission. Their master wanted them to kill Uchiha Sasuke. This would go a long way to prove the superiority of Otogakure. Konoha would lose the legendary Sharingan forever, and Otogakure would make a rather bold entrance onto the world stage. This was their moment, and Kin wasn't going to let it slip by.

Zaku veered left on his next jump. It wasn't to align himself to a better set of branches for ease of travel. He was moving away from the group. Abumi Zaku was an overconfident ass-wipe that she not so secretly wished would hurry up and die. He was, however, a member of the team and therefore necessary. For the moment at least. Dosu noticed the movement and came to a halt on the tree limb he landed on. Kin was rather amazed that he had seen anything at all. Most of his face was covered in bandages. He wore a large, grey, long-sleeved poncho. There was a straw raincoat on his back and a snake patterned scarf around his neck. Hunched over, with his head tilted he studied the movements of their wayward teammate.

Kin landed beside her partner deftly. "Do you want me to track him down?" Kin asked in hushed tones. "I will if you want me to, but I can't guarantee he'll be able to walk after I get him."

"No," he answered. Kinuta Dosu was glancing all around the area as Zaku was trailblazing. Kin shrugged. Dosu was the appointed leader of the squad because Sensei wasn't here, and he was Sensei's lap dog. It also helped that he was an incredibly talented ninja with a keen awareness and acute observation. Reasons notwithstanding, Dosu was in charge and there was no way she was defying Sensei's orders.

"So, um," Kin was trying to figure out the game plan, but Zaku was getting pretty far away. "Are we just going to let him go?"

"No," Dosu replied turning to her. His left eye considered her carefully. He was searching for any weakness. Her teammates always did that. They simply waited for her to fail and they relished in making her suffer for it. They had yet to be terribly abusive, but she learned quickly how to put up an aggressive appearance to ward them off. "We'll follow him at a distance. Let him take point. If he runs into traps, we'll know how to avoid them and he'll learn not to run off on his own."

"What is he following after anyway?" Kin wondered aloud. She wasn't really expecting an answer to the question. She was commonly ignored by her two male compatriots.

"Look at the ground, focus on the grass and the underbrush," Dosu returned before leaving to follow Zaku.

Kin did just that. Looking down she saw a healthy trail of what seemed to be blood worming its way toward her errant squad. There was no indication that this was worth following, but it was a lead and they had nothing else to work off of. Leaping to the next branch she ran, hot on the heels of her teammates. Dosu was letting Zaku stick out as bait. Nothing unusual, Dosu was pretty sinister in his strategies.

Teammates were expendable if it helped to accomplish the mission. Achieving chūnin was not a part of the mission. They were expected to make a strong showing in the exams, but as long as Uchiha Sasuke died then nothing else mattered. Besides, even if they didn't make it to round three as long as they accomplished their mission all people would be talking about was how Oto had eliminated the great Uchiha. Frankly, she kind of hoped Zaku bit it during their fight with the Uchiha. He always had been leering at her with predatory glances when he believed she wasn't paying attention, and frankly she was close to shooting a few senbon through his eyes as it was.

Minutes of mindless travel did little to stimulate her, but when she stopped looking around for traps to check on the rest of her squad she noticed something. Dosu was slowing down and Zaku had stopped. With all the stealth and skill as she possessed, Kin made her approach.

"Quiet down," Zaku barked through a harsh whisper once she landed.

"Look who's talking," Kin rebutted under her breath.

"Stupid bitch," the smug bastard snarled through his grinding teeth.

"Silence," Dosu commanded quietly.

Kin snapped her mouth closed. She couldn't wait to put Zaku in his place. When they got back home she was going to beat him senseless. Shifting her attention to the scene below she understood why they were silenced. It was a little suspicious, which for a ninja was incredibly suspect. Two genin lie motionless in the open of a clearing. A camp was set up, in the form of a hovel inside an especially large tree.

She studied the two teenage boys. One had a head of shaggy brown hair. His body was a collection of deep gashes, scrapes, and bruises. If he wasn't dead he probably would be soon. The blood they had followed had probably once been in his body. Judging by the way was completely motionless, and the amount of dark plasma pooled beneath him, there he was trying to get back to the camp when he died.

The other looked incredibly familiar. The almost obnoxiously bright red hair and the sword that was held in his hand pretty much gave it away. It was that self-righteous loser from before the first exam. Kin started to look around everywhere from up in her perch, but she saw no sign of their third teammate. '_Did you live up to your word? Did you die to protect them?_' She mentally asked the fallen ninja. For whatever reason, she hoped that he did just that. She hoped that he kept his promise to fight for his friends.

Kin almost wished that someone like that held that much dedication towards her. Part of her had hoped that some paragon of strength and virtue would always be there to stand in her defense. She had thought that Sensei would be that kind of person, but he wasn't. He never promised friendship. When he recruited her into service he only promised that she wouldn't be alone anymore, not that she would make friends. Friends. She wondered what it would be like to have one.

Dosu moved silently, searching for a better angle to observe the area. She killed the thoughts in her head. Friends were a liability. They made you vulnerable and weak. A friend was a person that you trust to guard your back, only to discover that they were the first ones to put the knife in. Even if they could be trusted, friends made you sacrifice yourself for someone or something less worthy than survival. Just like the Konoha fool that clutched his sword in death, a friend is someone you sacrifice yourself for. Survival was not a gift to be shared with the weak and unworthy.

Dosu signaled their group to circle around the camp and search for the third member. Edging closer to the felled champion of Konoha's idiocy, Kin looked for a way to silently fall from the tree. The center of their camp was a natural disaster. Unturned earth piled high in its center, ninja wire was strewn throughout, and the burnt remains of several objects suggested a massive battle had taken place. Kin couldn't think that any particular genin would be capable of such a fight.

Well, one perhaps. Uchiha. The arrogance on his face throughout the first exam just reeked of a smug self-confidence. Almost like Zaku, the Uchiha seemed to believe himself nigh unbeatable. Although, if he was willing to attack a comrade, then they would have to reassess the kind of strategy they would be using against him. Konohagakure might be filled with idealistic fools, like the swordsman beneath her, but if Uchiha Sasuke was willing to do whatever it took to achieve victory then he may be a very worthy opponent.

She couldn't see Dosu, but Zaku was staring at her with that stupid smirk of his. Kami, he was annoying. Kin couldn't wait for the mission to be over so she could go home. It wasn't much different in Otogakure, but at least she didn't have to _always_ be around her team. Zaku was perched in a branch that gave him a clear shot at the brown haired kid they had targeted before the start of the last round. Stupid punk smarted off about small villages. Size was nothing if the quality was poor.

Kin silently drew three senbon needles and fisted them one between each finger, holding them as claws. The sharp needles weren't killing weapons, but if the accuracy was pin-point they could kill with a silent efficiency no other ninja tool possessed. In the dead of night, a wound from a senbon needle was almost invisible, and that was what Kin loved about her ranged weapon of choice. They were small and unassuming, but so very dangerous when used correctly. She added an arsenal of tricks that made them far more versatile.

Zaku was staring intently to his left. He likely had line of sight with Dosu. The signal to strike was relayed, and Kin rushed to her target. Reaching the debilitated redhead she primed her fist to slip her needles through his jugular when she noticed something peculiar. Her hand at his throat she could feel the burning of his skin, and strange markings trailed along his neck marching up from his right side. The black lines traced along the pale skin branching off into short tributaries always connected to a longer line.

'_Impossible,_' Kin thought as the lines advanced over the teen's face for a time before retreating. '_This is Orochimaru-sama's juinjutsu!_'

"Wait!" Kin called out in haste. She needed to keep those two from doing something rash. Whatever they had stumbled onto was part of Orochimaru-sama's plans. They couldn't ruin their master's plans. "I found something!"

"Dammit Kin!" Zaku yelled with anger. "I swear to Kami I'm going to skin you alive if this isn't something important. These guys are completely helpless here. Easy pickings, and you go and ruin the fun."

Dosu emerged from behind the trees dragging a white haired kunoichi by her long locks. Kin felt disgusted. The caliber of kunoichi in this village was sickening. All of the girls seemed to be far too concerned with their looks than with their skills. This girl, with her stylish clothing and her neatly kept hair, seemed no different. "What is it Kin?" Dosu asked. His single visible eye glared in annoyance. Ungracefully, he tossed the prim and proper girl next to her would be savior. Kin felt a little disappointed. The self-righteous ninja had failed to protect her from a similar fate.

"This guy here looks like he received Orochimaru-sama's juinjutsu technique," Kin stated.

Dosu walked forward and with a brazen confidence he hoisted the swordsman up by the throat and stripped him of his jacket. This revealed the pattern of lines that resembled branches of a forest covering the sky. They emerged from a pattern of three, nearly intersecting crescent shapes that had formed on his right arm. As she studied the advancing and retreating first stage of the freshly applied seal, Kin revised her thoughts of the design. There was too much symmetry for it to resemble limbs of a tree. It was more like a close up of a falling snowflake.

As the black lines pushed forward and fell back along the exposed skin of the ninja Dosu dropped their unsuspecting find back to the ground. He said nothing, but growled in defeat as he turned to leave. He knew that this team had been dealt with already. Whatever their master had planned for them was not to be obstructed by their actions. Interfering with Orochimaru-sama's schemes was a quick way to die.

"Aww, come on Dosu," Zaku complained. "Just look at this guy! Clearly he's rejecting the seal. He's as good as dead right now, can't we just finish him off?"

"No," the hunched over genin answered, "and if you try, I'll kill you myself. He belongs to Orochimaru-sama. Whether that ninja lives or dies will be determined by him alone."

Zaku slumped slightly and kicked at the dirt as he walked aimlessly toward the brown haired ninja. Kin smirked in subtle victory. Anything to prevent that arrogant bastard from whatever it was that he wanted gave her nothing but joy. "Well," Zaku perked up as he drew nearer to the unconscious form of the shinobi that had insulted their home, "what about him? Orochimaru-sama didn't claim this one, and it looks like he's just barely alive. Can I finish him off?"

Dosu shrugged with indifference and her spiky haired teammate rubbed his hands together with glee. "I think I'm gonna blow this guy's face off. That oughta show him that these small village ninja are a bigger deal than he had thought we were." Zaku grabbed a head full of the messy brown hair. The eyes that had been closed lazily drifted open and the boy greeted Zaku with a bloody smile. "What's the matter? Your boss can't finish his own fights, so he sends some lackeys to clean up his mess?" The Konoha shinobi struggled to speak.

"Not really," Zaku returned. "He's a busy guy, and doesn't like to waste his time with losers like you."

"Didn't seem to be after I threw him half way to Suna," the teen coughed. The boy was barely clinging to life, despite his brazen confidence. "I was kinda hopin' he'd come back for round two. I've gotta fresh can of whoopass for him."

"Sure ya do," Kin watched as her teammate put his open palm in front of the offending genin's face. Zaku really was going to blow the kid's face off. Using his signature jutsu sent powerful bursts of pressurized wind through his modified arms. Adding a small amount of Fūton chakra could add a slicing component to an already powerful move. As much as she hated the guy, Zaku did have an impressive skill. He was blinded by its power, however, and that would be his downfall.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement. The redhead was stirring. His eyes were open and rage was burning in them as he was transfixed on the sight of his teammate, helpless before a nameless enemy. He stood, shakily, but his feet were sure enough. Kin thought about warning Zaku, and noticed that Dosu was also watching silently. The _leader_ of their little group was prepared to counter, but wasn't going to move immediately. If their arrogant partner didn't see the attack, then it would be punishment for running off on his own.

With surprising speed the paragon bum rushed her unaware partner. The redhead tackled him, and Kin fought back a giggle when she saw the face Zaku wore when impact occurred. An air blast ripped through the forest from an open palm, but it had missed its mark. Zaku was in shock as the enraged guy had pinned him. Straddling the startled punk around the chest and knees keeping his hands to the ground, Zaku was helpless.

"Don't you touch him!" The redhead was in a panicked state as he unleashed a torrent of punches directly to Zaku's face. Dosu decided that enough was enough and rushed to the mad man that was assaulting their teammate. Swinging his melody arm at the redhead didn't seem to do much at first. Especially since the berserker was aware enough to slip off the source of his anger and duck away from the attack. It didn't work out in his favor though as he began to swing his arms around wildly.

He tried to stay standing, but Kin wasn't shocked when he twisted around and fell on his face in an ungraceful display of balance. Dosu's attack could cripple anyone, no matter how skilled. The sound waves his metallic bracer generated simply by moving through the air could be aimed and target the inner ear of an enemy. Her mummified partner could, and has been nasty with this technique in the past, but lately he's favored messing with his opponent's equilibrium. This was probably because Sensei had ordered to keep casualties to a minimum during the exams, and this attack served as a good set up.

With that in mind Kin watched as the enflamed ninja stood slowly. His back was turned to her, and that made him a prime target. Still holding three senbon needles in her hand, she found her mark. Letting the needles fly, they struck her target along his spine on his lower back. The guy's legs twitched and stiffened and he fell back to his face, and made no further movements to get up. He couldn't, and wouldn't be able to for a little while.

"What the hell Dosu?" Zaku cried out once he was back on his feet. "Why didn't you warn me he was coming?"

The team leader tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "I thought you had it."

Kin nearly laughed out loud, but held her composure. Dosu drew a kunai from his pouch and slowly walked over to the genin that Zaku had intended to kill. The guy was unconscious once more, and his defender incapable of moving. Holding the tip of the metal edge at the soft flesh of the teen's throat, Dosu studied his next victim.

"Orochimaru-sama has poisoned you," he stated as if frustrated by the fact. "Your death is already assured, and killing you now would be a mercy."

Mercy was for the weak. Mercy got you killed.

Plunging the kunai into the neck of the teen and ripping it out was far from a gruesome moment. It was solemn, cold, and calculated. Kin could tell that Dosu hated killing that genin. It was not because the mummy despised causing death and pain, and certainly not because he had a peaceful disposition. He stood, wiping off the metal before returning the knife to its holster. Dosu was ever the devoted servant of his master, but that didn't keep him from indulging himself every once in a while.

"You didn't deserve such a clean death," Dosu snarled at the bleeding corpse. "If I didn't want to kill you myself I would have left you to suffer. Let's go."

Dosu set off to leave, and Zaku brushed by her with a heated glare. Kin looked down at the fallen form of the redhead and the kunoichi at her feet. "What about them?"

"What about them?" Zaku shot back.

"Shouldn't we try to make the guy a little more comfortable?" Kin asked. It sounded stupid. The moment the sentence left her lips she knew it would come back to bite her. It sounded like she wanted to help the enemy, but as she tried to justify the statement in her mind she realized something. The redhead wasn't much of an enemy anymore. He couldn't be trusted, but it was only a matter of time until he was just like them. It was only a matter of time before he was a servant of their master.

"Aiding the enemy?" Haughty eyes studied her and Zaku circled around her like a wolf waiting to pounce. "And I thought that you were smarter than that."

"I'm not helping the enemy," Kin argued. "Orochimaru-sama wanted him for something. That's why he has the juinjutsu. I'm just thinking that we shouldn't just leave him lying in the middle of nowhere like this."

Her dark haired companion was about to shoot his mouth off, but Dosu's hunched form turned around and held his hand up to silence their mouthy teammate. "Why?" He tested.

"If some other team finds him like this they'll just kill him," Kin explained. "What would Orochimaru-sama say when he learns we found him just laying out here and left him to die? I don't think he'd like the fact that we ignored his fresh recruit."

"You really are a dumb bi-" Dosu cut off the rude comments of their hotheaded partner.

"She's right. His body may be rejecting the seal, but if we can increase his chances of survival then we should do what we can." the mummy answered with a calm authority. "Zaku, we're leaving. Kin you have one day to do what you can and find us again. If you can't, then don't come back because I'll kill you for incompetence."

"Don't get lost out here," Zaku chimed in before leaping to the canopy of trees.

Dosu was about to follow before stopping on his heels. His head turned back to catch her gaze. "Before you leave, kill the girl," he ordered and disappeared.

Though he was gone, she nodded in recognition. The girl wasn't necessary, not anymore. She was probably meant to die, but luck favored her for the brief moment she struggled against Sensei. Her luck was out. As soon as she got finished with the redhead, Kin would finish the job Orochimaru-sama started. Grabbing hold of her temporary charge she hoisted him up and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Somehow, he was strong enough to stumble alongside her as she led him to the makeshift hut the team had turned the tree into.

It was a concerted effort getting the burning genin to lay back down. Removing the senbon only made him livelier, as he twisted and flailed around murmuring something or another about Kenshi. She assumed that was the guy Dosu had just executed. '_You're an idiot aren't you? You're in this mess because you cared more about some weaklings than yourself. You were strong enough to catch Orochimaru-sama's attention, but you wasted that strength defending those two?_' Kin thought as she tried to clean and dress the wounds that he had collected.

She didn't even know this guy's name, and here she was helping him out. All of this because Sensei thought he was interesting enough to warrant some attention. Still, it was worth the effort. Her master would recognize her loyalty if any of this made the difference in saving the guy's life. Kin finished cleaning up the last cut she could find and began rummaging around. The packs nearby were full of all sorts of things that were useful. A sparse collection of medical supplies, a large cloth sheet, kunai, shuriken, more ninja wire than she knew what to do with, and several explosive tags of various strengths.

Kin set to work bandaging the open wounds that adorned the pale flesh of the teen. Even in her strict professionalism, she couldn't help but blush a few times when she noticed how attractive the guy was. She hoped that Orochimaru-sama wasn't planning on using him as the host for his next jutsu. It would be such a waste. After doing all she could she cut a few lengths off the cloth sheet. Its mottled coloring of browns, greens, and blacks made for what might have been decent camouflage in the canopy. It wouldn't hold up to scrutiny, but it could keep you hidden from a distance. She folded up the rest of it and set it aside for later.

Digging around in what she had passed over at first, Kin discovered a few storage seals and one full of what seemed to be poetry. Skimming over the other she took an inventory of the labeled items that had been sealed away she found what she was hoping for. A small wash basin popped into existence. Setting the cut strips of cloth in the pewter bowl, Kin got up and started looking for water. The two of the canteens near the camp were empty, so she walked toward the other two members of the team to see if either one of them had another.

The girl, without surprise, had nothing. She was probably setting up camp when Orochimaru arrived. Girls in this village were weak. Scouting was a basic duty of a ninja on mission. Any kunoichi worth her weight was just as capable, if not more so, than the shinobi on her squad. Konoha had fallen far from the days of old. Her master had spoken of how fearsome Tsunade could be, and that reputation still lives throughout the world of shinobi.

The ground around the brown haired kid was covered in blood. The fresh pool still spilled into the soil as it slowly spread. His eyes were lifeless, but the corner of his mouth was tilted up in defiance of his situation. Whatever he was smirking about Kin hoped that it had been worth his life, but that was doubtful. Checking the supplies that he carried on his person yielded a canteen. The sloshing noise it made as she grabbed confirmed it was pretty full. '_Hopefully it's still cold,_' she thought as she walked back toward the redhead.

Pouring the water into the basin Kin quickly prepped the first wet cloth. Wringing it of excess water she noted that it was cold enough, and turned to apply the improvised compress to the sweaty forehead of the Konoha ninja. He had calmed down quite a bit, but still seemed to be skirting the borders of consciousness. The placement of her senbon had to have been off, because he shouldn't have been able to move for at least an hour. Something else must have been at play, and Kin suspected it was the juinjutsu.

Grabbing the rest of the cloth, Kin climbed up the massive sprawling roots. Taking a corner, she pinned it to the bark with a senbon needle before doing the same to the opposite corners. Taking a kunai she cut up the middle of the sheet from the bottom until she couldn't reach any higher. It wasn't the sturdiest thing that she had made, but it would hold until someone woke up.

Stepping into the rather spartan tent, Kin reassessed the weaponry and tools that she had to work with. Emptying all of the packs, she began devising several traps that she could make with what she had on hand and decided she would make as many as she could before leaving. Putting away all of the tools that she didn't need, her hands ran over the parchment of the various scrolls. Kin checked over each of them before putting them away, just to be sure that they didn't contain anything useful.

One was an impressive sealing array. She knew next to nothing about the art of fūinjutsu, but knew that it would take serious skills for a genin to pull it off. Another seemed blank at first, but unfurling it more revealed three names. Well, two names and one line marked _intruder_. The first name was Uzumaki Yurushi, and she assumed it belonged to the redhead. Disbelief set in as she recalled where she had heard the name Uzumaki before. '_You're related to that blond loudmouth!_' Kin realized as she read the next name.

Yukimura Hanami, that name could only belong to the girl. The name suited her. It was pure, delicate, and weak. Putting that scroll away and reaching for another, Kin rediscovered the collection of poetry. She read some, not being particularly impressed. The hand writing was crisp, clear, and artful. It reminded her of the calligraphy that adorned the sealing array she stumbled upon. Poetry was something that was lost to her. There was no real interest for such things in Oto, and if there was it was kept secret. One particular passage caught her eye as she rolled up the curled paper.

_Cascade the moonlight_

_Released from nomadic clouds_

_Smiling in dreams_

Glancing at the strands of white hair through the flap Kin was seething for some reason inexplicable to her. The girl was weak. She was nothing, and yet she had everything. Hanami had friends who cared enough to throw their lives away for her, suitors who wrote poems inspired by her, and she never once had to prove herself to anyone. Grabbing a kunai Kin couldn't bring herself to feel guilty or remorseful for what she was about to do. "You don't deserve anything you have," Kin breathed in a jealous anger. "If I wasn't in a hurry I'd make sure you knew that before the end."

After gathering her pilfered supplies, Kin drew back the flap to exit. Stepping outside, she felt someone grasp her arm and pull her back. Instinctively turning on her heel and bringing the kunai down on her attacker, she halted just before she caught a glimpse of his face. Covered in sweat, his hair was sopping, pain written on his face, but desperation in his eyes. "Please," he cried softly.

"Please," he implored. Kin was shocked. Speechless, she was reaching for any kind of response. Nothing came. She already knew what he wanted, but curiosity kept her there. Kin wanted to hear him say it.

"Please, don't do it," he continued. He sounded so weak. It wasn't the kind of weakness that she deplored. His weakness was not of a character unbecoming a shinobi. Even with his begging to spare the life of his teammate, she never got the vibe from him. It was his voice that was weak, as if the words were barely able to move past his lips.

"Please, don't kill her," he begged. "Take me."

Kin could see the light falling out of his eyes. Still holding her arm, he slumped over onto the ground, out cold before his head hit the dirt. She set him back on his bed roll, and set a fresh cloth on his forehead. All the while Yurushi kept mumbling _take me_. Stepping out of the hiding place, Kin turned. Molding chakra carefully, she weaved hand seals. Casting the genjutsu was easy, but making it look like the crude tent was actually a part of the tree was a challenge.

Satisfied with her work Kin approached her target. Looking at the still form of the kunoichi before her, all she could do was think. Her mind was replaying the fresh memory of that desperate look in Yurushi's eyes. The redhead was far from the self-righteous fool she had thought him to be. He was ready to die if it meant his friend was safe. Nothing else mattered to him but that frantic urge to protect what he held dear. Bringing her hand back to throw the knife at a vital point, the dark-haired girl paused.

She knew that desperation before. It was hers. It was a yearning for closeness, to know that someone else knew she was there, cared that she was alive, and desired her to stay in their presence. She didn't care what form that took, so long as that need was filled. For a while it had been. Orochimaru-sama took great care in her training, and it was her desire to make him pleased with her performance as a kunoichi. Over the years, Sensei moved on to others. Now, she was back in that same place; still searching, and still desperate. It made her wonder if she had ever really left that place.

Bringing her arm forward and releasing the knife from her grasp, Kin watched as it landed. Dark, apathetic eyes sat staring at the metal that buried itself into the earth millimeters from Hanami's eyes. Kin hadn't been trying to miss, but she couldn't bring herself to try and score a hit either. Even her desperation had been erased, if only for a moment. '_Maybe, just maybe,_' she thought as she walked to set up the various traps she was going to build. '_Maybe, he could be that kind of friend to me._'

It didn't sound possible, even as the words crossed her mind. _Friend_. It was a liability. It was a crutch. Still, as the contradictions to that deep-seated desire to feel close to someone flew around her head, Kin couldn't help but imagine. The kind of friendship that drove Yurushi to offer his own life for his teammate's sake was the sort of thing that was taught in this village. Orochimaru-sama wanted him to join them and if she gave Yurushi a reason to trust her, then he might extend that sort of friendship to her as well.

It was a longshot. He would stab her in the back eventually. Everyone did. But if he really was the paragon, then perhaps sparing the life of his friend would give him reason enough to regard her with that same kind of devotion. That same level of friendship. Kin inwardly snorted at the humor of the thought. Dosu and Orochimaru would kill her for insubordination. The irony was hilarious. '_I guess friends really are worth dying for._'


	26. Unpleasant Discovery

**Chapter 26: Unpleasant Discovery**

"There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go." - Richard Bach

* * *

Groggily her eyes opened to the sights of the blurry world. Everything was out of focus for a while as she adjusted to waking. The back of her head was throbbing gently as she tried to rise to a seated position, but quickly gave up on the idea. At least until she got her bearings a bit. The entire left side of her face felt swollen and tight. Every movement of her tongue and shift in her mouth redoubled the sore feeling that made itself known since her waking. Focus returned to her eyes as she raised her head a little. Putting weight on her elbows her arms started to hoist her up inch by inch.

A kunai had sunk into the ground, not far from where her face had been upon waking. She didn't really remember much. Hanami recalled throwing a punch, trying to reach far beyond her range, and then everything went dark. That ninja had knocked her out, but what happened after that? '_I'm still alive,_' she thought as she sat up and stretched aching muscles, '_So Yurushi or Kenshi-kun must have beaten that weird guy._'

There was a mound of upturned earth that began its incline right at her feet. It looked just like what happened when Sensei used a doton ninjutsu and the chakra used to hold its modified shape had been expended. There was so much of it just sitting there. Hanami twisted a strand of her hair around her finger as she sat thinking about who could have used a technique that strong. It made sense that Kenshi-kun had done it since that was his chakra nature, but the amount of rock, clay, and dirt that was gathered was absolutely massive. There was no way her secret crush could have enough chakra to do something like that.

A jolt of fear struck her like a hammer. '_The Kusa shiniobi,_' she dreaded the possibility that it was his jutsu. Yurushi believed that he could have been a jinchūriki, and the bijū were supposed to be the living embodiments of chakra. If a demon container could possibly use the chakra of the beasts they hosted, then the power they could access would be near limitless. Quietly and carefully Hanami rose to her feet. If the mysterious villain was hanging around, she didn't need to draw any attention to herself.

She turned around and didn't see the tree that served as the team's camp anywhere. Violet eyes scanned for any sudden movement, any rock, twig, or bush that was out of place. The surroundings looked like the clearing the team had settled, so she concluded that the hovel was on the other side of the manmade mountain. Cautious feet tread along the base of the knoll, and in spite of her best efforts Hanami couldn't calm the storm raging in her heart. The fear seemed so much more manageable when Yurushi was there. Simply knowing someone who could help, someone who related, was nearby just made that crippling sensation easier to overcome.

Every crunch her sandals made as they shifted the soil beneath her echoed in her ear. If that shinobi was still around, he knew that someone was nearby. Nothing escaped his notice during their bout, and there was no reason to think he wasn't just as aware during the calm. The two attacks that she had made were sure fire. There was no way any genin, except for maybe Yurushi or Lee, had the speed to escape with nowhere to go and no time left to get there. It had to be a jōnin or a chūnin level ninja in disguise.

'_We have experience fighting against a superior opponent,_' Hanami reasoned as she inched around the gentle curve. '_We got the best of Sensei a few times the last couple of months, so Yurushi should have been able to take that guy. I hope._'

Rounding the bend she saw a tuft of brown hair. Stopping dead in her tracks, Hanami tried to collect her breath. She honestly didn't know whether or not to feel relieved or worried. It was Kenshi's hair. There was no doubt about that. The only issue was a simple question. Was he just laying down keeping vigil, or was he hurt and in need of medical attention. She wasn't even certain how she would react to either situation. Slowly, curiosity and dread drove her forward.

As he became more visible, she had more reasons to turn and hide. He was just lying there, perfectly still. There was no gentle rise and fall to his chest. There was no twitch in his right foot or steady thumping of his left hand when he was awake and bored. He was on his back, and not on his side, so he wasn't sleeping. The closer she got the worse the image became.

Underneath him was a large stain on the ground. The nearly black color made her hold out for hope that it could be anything. As Hanami drew nearer, that hope diminished. The collection of cuts, gashes, and marred flesh told the story of what the substance was. Kenshi's blood had been spilled. She was trembling. Hanami didn't want to take another step, but couldn't bring herself to stop.

Then she saw it. His eyes were open, but the life was gone. A small smirk graced his face. It was that same cocky grin he gave when he had gotten one over Yurushi or Sensei. Directly beneath that wry smile was the sum of all her fears. Caked all over his neck was a thick layer of the dried near black blood. All of it emerging from a deep and gaping wound. Hanami felt beside herself.

'_This isn't real,_' she told herself as she approached Kenshi's lifeless body. '_This can't be real._'

Closing her eyes, she began forming hand seals. Soon after, she expelled chakra in a pulse. The disturbance in her chakra flow righted itself quickly, but she was dawdling to open her eyes. It had to be a genjutsu. It had to be. Kenshi-kun couldn't really be dead. She opened her eyes, and let her gaze fall only to find that nothing had changed. Under the weight of her grief, Hanami collapsed.

'_This isn't real! This can't be happening! This has to be a nightmare!_' She kept chanting in her mind as the tears flooded her eyes.

She was dreaming. The nightmare would end. It had to. It was all too surreal to be the truth. But it wasn't a genjutsu, and she couldn't wake herself up. Crawling over to the body of her friend she hoped beyond hope that once her hands tried to grasp the image it would dissipate into the darkest corners of her mind. Reaching out to touch his arm was a prayer that this moment would endure only as a fear of what could come instead of what is. Kenshi's hands were cold. So very cold.

The crystalline image of her life shattered. All strength left and Hanami crumpled atop the corpse of the boy she had loved. Sobbing over the body of her fallen friend, she didn't know what to do. There was so much that had gone undone, and even more that was left unsaid. This wasn't supposed to happen. They would grow stronger together, become respected ninja, climb the ranks, and eventually she would work up the courage to tell him how she truly felt. Now it was gone, just like that.

Her mind was flooded with images of things that would never be. Team Thirteen being promoted to chūnin. Kenshi finally mastering Sensei's kenjutsu style. The three of them completing several missions together and becoming jōnin. Kenshi falling into a roll of a jōnin squad leader, her becoming a Jōnin Sensei. Her first date with Kenshi-kun. Their first kiss. His awkward, but utterly adorable proposal. Kenshi becoming Hokage, and with the rest of his team, leading Konoha to prosperity and peace. Even their children made an appearance in the phantom visions of a future they would never share.

She knew this were wisps of fantasy from perhaps the only place of innocence in her life. She had allowed these thoughts, given them life, let them take root in her vision of the future. It was one of the few desires she held. All that she really wanted in life was to succeed her father's stunted legacy, and to find the man she could build a life with. It wasn't much, but the past few years she had begun to believe that it could be possible. Now, it was as water seeping through her hands. Nothing that Hanami did could stop the flow. Her tears joined that lost future as they broke upon the lifeless body of a boy she admired more than anyone.

The world was crumbling, and nothing remained in its shattered wake. The void was bleak, with no hope or light. There was only a dull and uninspired existence. Nothing remained. Nothing of value was found. Kenshi-kun's smile was gone. His annoying laugh had disappeared. Her courage died with him. What was left for her now? Survival. A meager existence, persisting only because she was too weak to simply give up all together.

Crying was all she could do. Cry, and pray that she would somehow wake up from this false reality. Through the flow of tears she could see the dampened spots appearing on the fabric of Kenshi's shirt. Hanami wanted to wake up. She needed to wake up. Anything to avoid embracing the cold reality that Kenshi was dead.

* * *

Neji was annoyed. That really wasn't anything new though. Tenten was used to her teammate's sour moods. Since their time in the Academy she had known him to be kind of stuck up, _very_ particular about things, and honestly more high maintenance than most girls she knew. It made her laugh at times. The Hyūga genius that so many girls fawned over was, unbeknownst to them, more of a diva than they were.

The first day of the second exam had been quiet and uneventful. They set up camp, Lee did a couple hundred sets of a dozen of different exercises, Neji kept watch, and she sharpened and polished all of her weapons. Then that evening they went scouting separate sections of the expansive training grounds. She stalked a team from Takigakure that was having difficulty adjusting to the change in terrain. They had the wrong scroll. Tenten needed one of the green scrolls.

The first evening ended and the second morning as a trade of information. Lee had found a cold water spring in the forest, but it was difficult to get to with all of the wood's creatures that flocked to it. It wasn't impossible, but they would probably have to go as a team. She was fed up with the restricted training area, everything inside the chain link fence wanted to kill her. It was getting old. There had been a dozen different berries or roots that Lee was going to eat until she or Neji realized that it was poisonous. Neji had found another team, but they also had the wrong scroll.

The rest of that day, Team Nine took things easy. Accomplishing their goals at night was an easier way of going about this exam. Other teams would want to make use of daylight because they were unsure of themselves, or they were unsure of where they were. It was always easier to win a fight when the opponent wasn't at their best, and most of their opponents would be tired and off balance at night. This was what they were looking for; an easy mark.

Studying the ground below didn't reveal anything special. Neji leapt to the next branch in front of her, he flicked a finger to the left showing that they needed to start veering that way. In spite of his less than charming personality, Neji was an invaluable teammate. His skill alone was amazing for someone of their age group, and when it was coupled with his kekkei genkai then he was shaping up to be a fearsome shinobi. Whatever he saw was off in the distance.

Breaking up the second night for another scouting expedition was less than productive. She hadn't found anything particularly interesting except for a strange plant that shot poisonous barbs if it was touched the wrong way. That wasn't fun. Neji had found another source of water and filled up enough to last the group for the remainder of the exam. The big problem that came from last night was the reason they were on the move today instead of resting. Lee hadn't come back yet. It was still early morning, and that weirdo could be trying to get a few more laps in.

'_Knowing that idiot he's running around the entire training ground chanting that he'll do ten thousand of something if he can't,_' the bun haired girl rolled her eyes. Of all the people their Sensei had taken interest in, she now understood why it was Lee. That kid had a work ethic that made her own training look like child's play. It almost made her sick to be honest, but it wasn't like Gai-sensei let the rest of the team off easy. She thought the man was way too over the top, but she was as strong as she was now because of his teachings.

Lee's absence this morning didn't really startle her, or her white-eyed partner. While it didn't bother her much, it only deepened Neji's disappointment. She could only guess at what he was aggravated at when he returned to camp this morning. If Tenten had to pin it on something it was probably the fact that they hadn't found Yurushi's team. Neji had been disappointed that he didn't feel up to that offer of a spar a few weeks back, so he was probably hoping to test his wits against his true rival. '_Boys,_' Tenten groaned to herself. '_Why are they always trying to one up each other all the time? They're always trying to prove who can fight the best, eat the most, or fart the loudest._'

It wasn't as if she blamed them, but boys had a tendency to overdo the whole _contests of superiority_ thing. The only reason that she overlooked it for the most part was because she had a similar goal. She was going to be the best kunoichi in the history of Konoha. Tenten was going to be a name for the ages just like Tsunade. Kids in the Academy would read about all of the amazing things that she had accomplished and just how influential her life had been for the sake of the village. Tsunade was a legendary ninja, and possibly the most powerful kunoichi in the world. Tenten couldn't help but try to emulate someone like that.

It didn't take long for emulation to evolve into something more. It was no longer enough to be like Tsunade, or as powerful as her. Now she had to be better than Tsunade in every way. Why? There were several reasons, but two were more important than the rest. As one of the Sannin, Tsunade was proof to the world that a kunoichi had to be taken seriously in combat. The second was that she was the best doctor in the world. Her advancement in medical ninjutsu was perhaps the sole reason why generations of families even existed today. Tsunade was more than powerful, she was brilliant on top of it, and all of it was used for the greater good of Konoha. Why wouldn't she want to try and be better than that?

As she leapt through the trees, the foliage began to glow with the rays of sunlight that trickled through. Dawn had come, and there was still no sign of Lee. '_Hopefully he didn't go try and start a fight he couldn't win,_' Tenten shook off the bad thoughts. Neji might not admit it out loud, but their absentee partner could take care of himself just fine. He was more than capable in a fight, and so long as he stayed smart and didn't push himself beyond his limits, there wasn't too much Lee couldn't handle.

Neji stopped up ahead. This meant only one thing. He saw a problem and was assessing how he should approach it. Landing beside him, Tenten waited quietly. Asking questions now would only tick him off even more. She knew that the Hyūga was nothing if not professional, and he would make sure his team knew what he knew so nobody was going in blind.

"Up ahead there is another team," Neji's eyes focused on the horizon. His Byakugan was fully active, so there was no telling what he was really looking at. "I can see two of them, but the other may be waiting outside my range."

"Can we take them?" Tenten asked. She wasn't eager to fight without the whole team, but if they had an opportunity to get a scroll then they needed to take it.

"Yes," Neji answered, "one looks to be unconscious or worse, and the other seems to be beside herself."

"Is it anyone we know?" Tenten hoped that it wasn't. Whatever happened to this team was probably pretty bad, so hopefully it wasn't a friend. Neji released the power of his Byakugan and subtly shot her a glance out of the corner of his eye. It was as if he was gauging her reaction to something.

"It's Hanami," her partner answered sternly.

Without a second thought she took off in the direction that Neji had been leading her. Hanami was her best friend, and she wouldn't just sit around a let something terrible happen. Not if she could help. She could hear Neji's fading protests as she sped through the canopy. If Hanami or her team was seriously hurt, then they would need some help getting back to full strength. At the very least she could help watch over them while they rested. She was no medic, but she could do something.

Pushing from one branch to the next her legs began to burn. Tenten was far from tired, but the effort of moving at top speed so suddenly was making itself known. Fears and images of a bloody scene filled her mind. She didn't know what Neji had seen, but she could only hope that things weren't bad. Landing on another tree limb and driving herself forward was all she could do. There clicking noise of some sort to her side, and it sounded like some sort of mechanical devise. Almost like a kunai launcher.

'_Stupid,_' Tenten lamented the fact that in her haste she had overlooked the trap.

Reaching a hand into her utility pouch she retrieved a handful of shuriken. The speeding missiles were released in a wide spread pattern. Only three looked like they posed any threat to her, so she let the shuriken fly as she carried on. The few that she didn't need to target flew by harmlessly. One such kunai passed in front of her, and as she landed on a sturdy tree limb she noticed a small fire burning near the hilt of the kunai. Without thinking she launched herself in the direction that the knives came from. The shockwave of fire and air crashed into her and cause her to stumble in her landing.

Rattled a bit, but otherwise alright Tenten rose to find that she might have gotten away with one. That explosive tag was far more powerful than the standard fair she used, and it made her curse under her breath that she couldn't study the other one and compare the two. A more powerful explosion was always on her wish list. Cautious steps followed her careful scanning of the immediate area. Hanami was important to her, but getting killed by a trap wouldn't help anyone.

Spotting a snare hidden amongst the underbrush, the bun headed genin took to the trees once more. Moving with more confidence as she got closer and closer to her perceived goal, the self-proclaimed weapons expert shifted her gaze to the just above her. An entire limb, thick enough to hold several people comfortably, was little more than a stump. The real shock was that it had been cut through cleanly. Who, or what, could have cut through the branch of such a large tree with so little effort?

'_It must have been some battle,_' the steel eyed girl thought as she approached a small clearing.

Small wasn't the right word as she got a good look at the area. It was a pretty decent size, but the large mound of dirt seemed to clutter things up. She couldn't see anything directly, but she could hear gentle sobs and soft whispers. Hanami was here. Just as she was about to jump down a firm hand grabbed hold of her shoulder. Instinct took over and a kunai was drawn and leveled at the person who had grabbed her, only for Tenten to realize that it was Neji.

"Sorry," she muttered as she holstered her weapon.

"You shouldn't have run off like that," Neji scolded. "It could be a trap."

A withering gaze was leveled at her partner. No words were needed; he _knew_ what she was saying with that look. Who did he think they were dealing with? Did he honestly believe that Hanami, Kenshi, and Yurushi would spring an ambush on a comrade? The nerve of this guy! She knew it was a competition, and she knew that they were competing against one another, but their friends weren't so low.

"Whether you like it or not Tenten, they are the enemy," Neji lectured. His dismissive attitude toward her thoughts on the matter was almost as infuriating as his actual suggestion.

"They're our friends, and I'm going to help them," Tenten answered.

Jumping down from the tree, the girl moved carefully toward the sounds of crying. It wasn't that she was worried about getting attacked, but she did want to give them a chance to identify her before making a move. Edging around the pile of upturned earth, the sobs turned into muttered words though a stream of tears.

"It isn't real," Hanami's voice whispered through her grief. "He isn't dead. It isn't real."

The chanting alone nearly broke her. Taking a deep breath, Tenten prepared for the worst and stepped out from behind her cover. Hanami sat with her back turned to Kenshi. Hands were buried in the once snow white hair, now caked with dried up mud and blood. A flow of tears ran from her violet eyes; eyes that were fixed on some point far off and unseen. Her knees were drawn up to her chest as she rocked back and forth. The chanting sounded more and more desperate as Tenten drew nearer. Crouching down beside her friend Tenten tried to snap her out of the world she wrapped herself in.

"Hanami," Tenten spoke softly hoping to carefully bring her best fired back from the edge of insanity. "Hanami, it's me."

There was no response, but the violet orbs snapped into focus. "Hey, um, what happened?" Tenten had spent her time training to fight, not to heal. She had no idea what she could say to make her feel better. No words were needed. Hanami practically threw herself onto the startled brunette, who simply allowed the hug.

"It's okay," Tenten proclaimed softly. It was a lie, and as she studied Kenshi's mangled body, she knew that it was far from okay. Still, she didn't know what else she could say. She had no idea what had happened, or why it had come to this. "I'm here now, so we'll figure this out."

Hanami simply cried. For minutes on end the girl weeped ceaselessly. Tenten did the only thing she knew to do. She held on to her friend and let herself become a support. Kenshi looked as though he had been in one hell of a fight. The blood that was long dried on the ground was an unnatural black color. It wasn't something that she had seen before, but she had heard of it. Blood that dark could mean a number of things but the one that stuck out in her mind was that the blood had not been well oxygenated.

The gash in his neck was probably the cause of death, but if Kenshi was not breathing well, then something else was involved in the attack. Hanami clung to her like the embrace kept her alive, but all that Tenten was trying to figure out was what had killed Kenshi. '_Poison?_' She wondered. '_Maybe, but slitting his throat doesn't make much sense if the poison would have killed him._'

No easy answer came to that question. Especially not while her best friend was hanging on her, and there was no one else she could ask about the deadly encounter. The shift in thought made her realize something rather interesting. The nearby area was kind of obscured by the large mound of clay, but there should have been some evidence. She would need another pair of eyes for this one.

"Neji," Tenten called out. The shinobi in question appeared after a short while, but she wasn't going to let him to object to anything just yet. "Can you look around for Yurushi? He should be here, but I'm not seeing any sign of him."

"We shouldn't be here," Neji returned. "Friends or not, the exam has put us on opposite sides. For the moment, they are our opponents."

"Dammit Neji!" Tenten tried not to scream at the top of her lungs. "Have a heart! Don't you see what happened here?"

"It was their fate," Neji objected coldly. "There is nothing more that can be done."

"Just find Yurushi," she responded while disengaging from her friend. The girl panicked which scared the bun haired kunoichi senseless. She had never seen Hanami look so desperate. "Shh, It's alright, I'm not going anywhere. I just need to make Neji do some work for a change."

"Neji," Tenten addressed while keeping an eye on Hanami. The girl was utterly distraught. It was gut-wrenching. "Just look around and see if you can find him. Yurushi wouldn't just abandon his team, so he either went out on patrol or he's hurt."

"What has happened has happened," Neji dismissed the order. Tenten stood up and marched over to Neji. Face to face her challenge to his refusal would be more authoritative. She wasn't really in command, but she sure as hell wouldn't let him sit around and do nothing. "This is fate's decree."

"Find Yurushi and see if he needs help or Kami help you I'll-I'll-I'll," she was at a loss for a threat that was significate enough to motivate the Hyūga prodigy.

"You'll what Tenten?" Neji questioned. "There is nothing you can do that will make me help them. I may not like what happened, but they are not our friends in this exam. We have our own missing teammate to worry about."

"Go and do it or I'll tell Gai-sensei that you weren't willing to help comrades in need," Tenten intimidated him enough to make her partner tense up. "Just think about how _unyouthful_ Sensei would consider that to be. Then think all of the training that you would need in order to _ignite the flames of your youth_."

"You wouldn't dare," Neji countered. He knew better than to think she wouldn't, but his eyes bore deeply into her own to test the idea. '_Checkmate,_' Tenten thought as her partner turned to walk around the clearing.

Tenten grinned at her victory, but wiped it from her face as she returned her attentions to Hanami. Walking over, she took the girl's hand and hoisted her up. Hanami was still very shaky, so Tenten helped to prop the battle-worn girl up with an arm around the shoulder. Slowly she led her away from Kenshi, Tenten hoped that if she could separate her friend from the grizzly scene she would be more able to talk about what happened. Frantic eyes flitted toward the lifeless corpse, and the struggle began. Hanami wrestled to return to Kenshi's side.

"I can't!" Hanami's voice was desperate. Shoving the brunette away, the kunoichi of Team Thirteen fell in her attempt to get to her now dead crush. "I can't leave him!"

The bun haired teen put a hand to her temple to relieve the growing pressure. This wasn't going to be easy. With a sigh of exhaustion she walked back to see if she could get any sort of story from her best friend. Tenten wanted to piece together the mystery of what had happened here. Hopefully Neji would find the last member of this broken squad, and with any luck Yurushi would be in better shape than his friends.

* * *

The world around him was crisp and clear. Nothing was hidden from his sight, except for the side of a large tree, which was coated in chakra. Neji knew this to be only one thing, genjutsu. Approaching the area in question, he deactivated his Byakugan. The great tree appeared normal at first glance, but a closer inspection revealed the inconsistencies. The bark of the genjutsu was a hue darker than what surrounded it, the cracks and texture on the surface of the illusion was for a different species of tree, and finally the base of the trunk took an unnatural bend near the exposed roots.

Molding chakra and releasing it in a burst dispelled the farce. When the illusory camouflage fell apart it revealed a sheet hung up to create a barrier against the elements. Walking through the makeshift tent door illuminated a great many things. Yurushi was lying on a bed roll, drenched in sweat, tossing, turning, and moaning in pain. There looked to be a cold compress on his brow, but it seemed to have dried out long ago.

Sighing in defeat, Neji set to work helping his friend. The nature of the competition meant that they were enemies, but Tenten didn't care. '_Well, I suppose they aren't really competing anymore,_' Neji corrected as he replaced the cool rag that had yet to break the fever. '_With Kenshi dead, the team is no longer eligible to continue._'

Having the redhead constantly moving in his pain was probably a bad thing. Neji activated his Byakugan once more to study Yurushi's chakra pathway system. Chaos, panic, and total anarchy was all that could be described from the image he received. The Uzumaki's chakra, which he could only describe as being an icy bluish color, seemed to be fighting with a smaller source of chakra of a dark violet color. The invader appeared to be coming from a seal on the right forearm.

The Hyūga narrowed his eyes at the sight. Fūinjutsu was an art that he despised, but begrudgingly respected. The power that such techniques carried warranted the utmost caution, but the things they were capable of could be monstrous. It had the power to protect against great evils, but it also could corrupt and destroy. That seemed to be the nature of the seal that was now on his friend. '_It doesn't like it was Yurushi's work,_' Neji tried to troubleshoot the issue at hand. '_He should know enough about fūinjutsu to know when something is safe enough to use._'

Given all of the time he spent trying to ignore Yurushi's various lectures and Tenten's explanations on how her seals worked, Neji had learned a thing or two about fūinjutsu. This one was beyond his knowledge, but with all that he could see it seemed to be trying to introduce a foreign source of chakra into the redhead's system. There were several things that this could be. It could be a more permanent sort of genjutsu, but with the apparent victim resisting the hold the illusion is supposed to have that option seemed unlikely. Most likely it was a highly refined, chakra specific poison.

Neji had no experience in treating poisons, venoms, or infections. Introduce sealing techniques into the mix and the answer became infinitely more complex. The question at hand was a crucial one. Is this really a poison, or is it something else? If the seal on Yurushi's right arm was simply designed to hold and balance a foreign chakra with that of the host, then the seal was for his rival's benefit.

If that was indeed the case, then there was a method that Neji could help his friend, but it was a bit of a longshot. The chakra pathway system was similar to the cardiovascular network of veins that carried blood throughout the body. Chakra was utilized, molded, and shaped by careful and precise manipulation of one or more tenketsu. These chakra nodes regulated the natural flow of chakra through a person's system and kept the balance even. This way a person uses enough chakra to live and work, but doesn't accidently deplete themselves when getting out of the bed in the morning. The fighting style of the Hyūga targeted the tenketsu.

The overall purpose of Jūken was to disable the opponent. A Hyūga with enough mastery of the Byakugan and Jūken could aim for and shut down a number of these checkpoints. The effect would be to disrupt the internal and external flow of chakra to the point where actively molding chakra and even moving was impossible. Knocking out a few select pressure points could alter the flow of chakra. Doing so for Yurushi now could allow this foreign chakra to blend in and calm the chaos, or it would make the spread of any poison easier and kill the Uzumaki quicker.

Decision made, Neji struck with needle like precision he shut down several tenketsu. The desired effect took place. Yurushi was still, unable to move as much, his chakra still resisted the invader, but it did so less violently. The only thing that would be able to determine whether or not his actions had helped or hurt was time. '_Either way,_' Neji thought as he stood to meet back up with Tenten. '_Your fate will be determined here._'

The walk to rejoin his partner was a solemn one. He had known that Yurushi was paired with mediocre shinobi. He had known that Kenshi would fail as a ninja. He had told his friend that his fate would mirror the fate of his clan. Viewing the scene, Hanami useless, Kenshi dead, and Yurushi struggling to survive, Neji ran and hand through his long black hair. He was right. He was always right. Normally it felt good and it justified his predilection to weigh a person's worth. Now, however, Neji wasn't sure.

Seeing the corpse of the brown haired blacksmith, his eyes set wide, smirk ever defiant, and fist clinched. Watching as Tenten tried to comfort the inconsolable girl nearby the fallen. Remembering the pitiful state his true rival and closest friend was in. All of this brought only one thought to his mind. '_I didn't want to be right. Not like this._'

"Tenten," Neji called. She turned and met his gaze. Whether she wanted to or not it didn't matter. They were done here. "Lee is waiting for us."

"Hanami," the bun haired girl eased her friend into the departure. "Neji and I have to leave now. Lee went on ahead and we have to meet up with him before he gets himself into trouble. Will you be okay for a while?"

Hanami shook her head and wiped her eyes free of tears. Shaking hands dug into her kunai pouch and pulled out a white scroll marked _heaven_ and held it out to Tenten. "Here, you can take it if you want," the sniffling teen said. "We can't use it, so you can take it."

"Thank you Hanami," his partner took the scroll and softly hugged her friend. "This will let us enter the tower."

"Please," Hanami said quickly. "Find Hayate-sensei. Please tell him."

"I will," Neji agreed and began walking toward the edge of the clearing. Motioning for his teammate to follow, he waited as she took her time in doing so. Taking to the trees again was a quiet affair. They exchanged no words as they continued their search for their wayward partner, but Neji's thoughts were abuzz of activity. His focus had to be finding Lee and making it to the tower as soon as possible. The sooner that happened, the sooner his friend could get help. Perhaps this was Yurushi's fate, but the Uzumaki never agreed with that philosophy. Fighting against fate was fruitless, but he would help Yurushi try.

* * *

The third day of the exam came as quietly as the other two. A few teams were waiting inside the tower. Surprisingly enough, one of the rookie teams from Konoha had showed up on the first day. Kurenai's crew to be exact, but she hadn't won the bet just yet. Hayate suspected that the bulk of teams would arrive either today or tomorrow. If too many more showed up, then a preliminary round would be necessary.

He was plenty prepared for that. What he had not been prepared for was the team from Sunagakure. They passed the second exam after little more than an hour of elapsed time. None of them looked as though they had exerted any real effort. Careful study of the team over the past two days showed that the only real oddity of the group was the one named Gaara. He seemed entirely detached. The few moments the jōnin had witnessed where the boy even acknowledged the existence of another it was to threaten them with a painful death. The kid just reeked of unnatural vibes.

The doors to the main hall opened and Maito Gai's squad entered, and the kenjutsu expert immediately wanted to go and hide somewhere. It wouldn't be long until the obnoxious green clad elite arrived and began to pester him about the _youthfulness_ of his students. It was enough to drive anyone insane. Hayate wanted to know how Kakashi was able to tune the man out, and wondered just how much it would cost him to learn that little secret. The brown haired jōnin didn't want to give up on the possibility of learning whatever technique is employed, but was certain that the former ANBU Captain would rather take it to his grave.

"Anko," Hayate called out from his position in the middle of the main hall. The woman had reported a confrontation with Orochimaru in the early hours of the second day, and had been on edge ever since. Honestly, everyone was on edge after hearing that, but there was work that needed doing and the Hokage was personally leading the search. Those assurances, however, did little to calm Anko. The woman hid it well, but she was disturbed by the unexpected arrival of her former Sensei. She had quite eagerly volunteered to aid with ANBU search teams, but the Hokage ordered her to finish the second round of the exams.

"What is it?" The perturbed voice answered over the PA system.

"Since you're in the control room can you open the video display door and set the match selector program to run a couple dozen times?" He was going to pay dearly for pestering her for what must have been the twelfth time that hour, but it did distract her from the big issue at the forefront of her mind, and deflected all of her pent up rage toward someone who could take it. Anko talked a big game, but she wasn't all that bad. That is unless you were Orochimaru, worked for him, were connected to him, or really had any mild affiliation with the infamous ninja. Then she would be sadistic. Those were the rumors at least.

"You want something done, then get your ass up here and do it!" She shot back with frustration. "I have to go and patrol sector five."

The motor that controlled the door hiding the large monitor hummed and Hayate grinned at her empty complaint. Coughing shortly after he reminded himself that somehow, someway, she would make him pay; probably by tricking Yūgao into making him rearrange their apartment for the third time in the past two months. That wouldn't be too bad as long as he didn't have to paint, again. Last time the colors didn't match the flow of the rooms and the time before was that the layout wasn't conducive to hosting larger gatherings, so Anko has to start getting creative if she wanted the third excuse to fly.

"Sensei," a young voice caught his attention. Turning, Hayate found Hyūga Neji waiting patiently. His face was stone, but from what he had heard Neji was pretty undemonstrative about most things. His khaki shirt and dark brown shorts showed that he had spent the past few days surviving the harsh environment of the deadly training ground. The teenager didn't look too worse for wear, so whatever their team had done to advance wasn't too great of a fight for the purported prodigy.

"What can I do for-" wheezing broke up the rest of the sentence, but the genin had likely gotten the gist of the question.

"Hayate-sensei," the stern expression meant that this was something serious. "During the second exam Tenten and I encountered your team."

"Oh," schooling his features was a habit. He was supposed to be a neutral party, but he was curious to see how his team would fair. If they encountered Gai's students in a combat setting that would have been an interesting confrontation to watch. "How are they doing?"

"It's bad. They have been," Neji seemed to be a bit lost for words. "Well, they are disqualified."

Hayate could feel his heart drop. There were only two ways to get disqualified. The first was to not have made it to the tower in the five day time limit. Even if Gai's team had taken their scroll there was plenty of time to find two more. No, that wasn't how they were disqualified. His throat dried up, and he felt himself drawing in shallow breaths. He forced himself to calm down. He needed to detach himself from the situation, figure out what caused this, and follow through with the appropriate response.

"Can you take me to them?" Hayate asked with a cold and clinical tone. One of his worst fears had become a reality. One of his genin, his students, the children entrusted into his care had died. He needed to know why that had happened, and he needed to know now.

"I can," the Hyūga nodded and turned around to lead the way.

"Anko," Hayate called up to the woman hidden away, probably still fuming about being volunteered to help him out. "I'm going on patrol with you. Something happened."

"I'll meet you outside," she replied in haste.

If another team was responsible for killing his student he wouldn't be happy, but the blame, the responsibility for that life lost would rest solely with him. It would be his failure, a failure he would have to find a way to live with. If there were external forces at work, such as Orochimaru, then his sword would drink the blood of the guilty.

Stepping outside the main hall, Hayate didn't speak to his guide. The teenager didn't try to strike up conversation. It didn't matter who the victim was, his entire team had suffered something horrific, and the ones who survived would surely be beside themselves in grief. He needed to be there and he needed to be there now. Sure, he was the proctor of the third exam, and he had duties to perform. However, he was the Sensei of Team Thirteen, and those duties came first. His students came first, and they always would.

* * *

The singing of birds was echoing through the silence. ANBU scurried about collecting evidence and taking notes. It wasn't a crime scene, not really, but at the same time crimes had been committed. There was no real telling exactly who would have to atone for this, but every Sensei takes the loss of a student perfectly. It still stung to know that his own student had a hand to play in this needless tragedy.

A puff of smoke escaped Sarutobi's lips as they marginally relaxed the grip they held on his pipe. Kenshi smiled. It wasn't the face of joy or happiness, but rather one of satisfaction. The boy's last moments were successful ones. The childe did what he had set out to do knowing exactly what it would cost him. It was a death worthy of a Hokage. A position for which the child may have vied for. He certainly had the right mindset for it, but it makes little difference now.

Mentally, the grizzled leader of Konohagakure began writing the letter which would serve as the formal casualty notification to Kenshi's family. A letter he would hand deliver. When the incident was reported he couldn't help but feel his cynicism bleeding through. Over the years he had personally hosted at least a half a dozen Chūnin Exams, and every time there were deaths. It was an understood reality of the system, but foreign nations always took offence to a genin's death on foreign soil. Sarutobi could help but hate himself for hoping that the death was someone from Konoha. It was less of a hassle, and there were never threats of war.

"I'm too old for this shit Kenshi," the man muttered under his breath as he withdrew the pipe for a moment. "Why couldn't it have been you burying me?"

"Sir," an agent approached from behind, "The medical examination confirms the initial evaluation. The fūinjutsu on the boy's arm is a variation of the design Jiraiya-sama had reported on."

"Excellent work Inu," the old man huffed as he began to take another drag. "See to it that Kenshi's body is taken to the Coroner's office. I want an autopsy done on the body and I want a preliminary report before the final stage of the exam. Then get in touch with Jiraiya's contact in the village he needs to return immediately."

"Yes Hokage-sama," and a passing moment Inu disappeared into the shadows, along with Kenshi's body.

Upon personal examination it was clear to him that Orochimaru didn't land the killing blow. Slashing a throat was quick and efficient. It left no time for gloating, no time to test the opponent's skills, no time to analyze their potential. Orochimaru would never kill a genin so directly. Only a true threat deserved the honor of not being studied or scrutinized, because the snake would have already done all his homework before facing off against someone who posed a real threat.

Orochimaru had been here. Yurushi's mark left no doubt about that. The question that remained was why. '_What are you scheming now? What are you playing at?_'

The possibilities rattled around in Sarutobi's head as he prepared to leave the scene behind. There was work to do in regards to this mess, and he needed to find the resolution quickly before the wrong people became too interested in the situation. Releasing another plume of tobacco smoke did little to calm his mind. Especially since he was face to face with one of those wrong people just seconds before he was about to leave.

"Hokage-sama," the Jōnin Instructor addressed him tensely.

"Hayate," Sarutobi returned the greeting and waited. The man was here to ask questions, and the Hokage had every intention to answer them.

"With all due respect Hokage-sama, but what aren't you telling me?" The swordsman kept his seething anger in check remarkably well given the situation. "You said you weren't sure what that mark was, but I could see it in your eyes. You know something."

"I told you I don't know what the fūinjutsu's purpose is," Sarutobi answered. It was the truth, but not all of it. Hayate didn't need all of the details, because if the man had them he'd go storming off and solve the case on his own.

"Hokage-sama," the aggravation in the man's voice was becoming clearer. Hayate rarely had emotional outbursts, but the situation must be eating away the incredible self-control the jōnin possessed. "When you saw the fūinjutsu on Yurushi's arm there was recognition in your eyes. I deserve to know the truth. What the fuck is that mark?"

The Hokage sighed. Insubordination was unbecoming of Hayate. When a superior gives an answer it is implied to let the answer be just that, and the issue is laid to rest. It seemed, however, that Hayate needed something further or he would not be able to move forward and let it go. He didn't want to fight the issue, and he certainly didn't want to drop the full weight of his authority.

"It is a juinjutsu developed by Orochimaru," Sarutobi relented. "I do not know its purpose, but I believe it's called the Ten no Juin. Jiraiya had been studying it for a time and had to exfiltrate himself from Orochimaru's network before he could learn more details. I know nothing else about it."

"Is it supposed to kill him?" Hayate asked forcefully. A modicum of calm had returned to his voice, but the tension didn't ease up at all.

"I don't know," the Hokage answered. "I don't think that is the purpose, but the style of fūinjutsu that this is based on is foreign to me, so I can't be certain."

"And Kenshi's death is directly related to this seal, isn't it?" The question was posed and Hayate waited for the answer. Sarutobi knew that Orochimaru wasn't the one that killed Kenshi, but he likely had a hand in the situation.

"No, I don't think it is," The Hokage replied. "Hayate I know this will be difficult to hear, but you need to stay out of this case. ANBU will handle it. I have dozens of squads working non-stop to hunt down Orochimaru as we speak. The matter of Kenshi's death will also be investigated, but Orochimaru was not the one who killed Kenshi. The fatal stroke was made by someone else. Regardless of who is responsible you need to let me take care of this."

"Kenshi's death is tied into Orochimaru's plot somehow," the man's dark eyes narrowed. His voice spoke with absolute assurance "Orochimaru is at the heart of this. I know it."

"Hayate," the jōnin was becoming too belligerent. He was far too emotionally tied into this investigation for it to bring healthy results. "You will return to working the preliminary rounds for the time being. After which ANBU will consult with you about your students as needed while they conduct their investigation. You will not be involved any further without my express consent. Understood?"

"Yes Hokage-sama," Hayate nodded, but the begrudging attitude was plain as day. With a flick of the wrist and a quick burst of chakra, the man was gone in a puff of smoke. Well, that conversation was over with. For now at least. Sarutobi held no doubts that the Jōnin Instructor would make several dozen visits to the Hokage's office to listen for news.

"Yamaneko," he addressed the ANBU agent perched in the canopy to his right. Her patrol route today was supposed to be in the same district as the main gate of the village, but with all that happened he'll assume she was on her break. For now at least.

"Hokage-sama?" The black ops member awaited orders.

"Keep an eye on him for me," Sarutobi instructed. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Yes Hokage-sama." The vanished from her vantage point, leaving the worn down leader all alone.

It was just another shinobi who had died far too young. It was just another genin team broken and forever scarred by the memory of the one that they survived. It was just another family that had to bury a son and a brother. It was just another in a long, long list of reasons why he was fed up with this job years ago. '_At this rate,_' Sarutobi thought as he watched sunlight cascade down from the sky through the thick blanket of leaves overhead, '_meeting the grave is the only way I'll be able to quit this damn job._'


	27. Beginnings of Hope

**Chapter 27: Beginnings of Hope**

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." - Martin Luther King Jr.

* * *

"I apologize Hokage-sama," he interrupted on bended knee. His sudden appearance in the crowd startled several that had not already sensed his approach. "As referee of the final round will you allow me, Hayate Gekkō, to take over from here?"

The old man eyed him cautiously, concerned. Perhaps those weathered eyes were right to be worried. Their last conversation didn't exactly end well. Hayate had since apologized for his outburst, but the emotions were still there. One of his precious students was dead, and the other two were gravely injured. The jōnin wanted revenge, he wanted justice, he wanted blood, but the Hokage was right. They had to find the ones responsible, regardless of whether or not Orochimaru had a hand in things. Kenshi could have died at the hands of another genin.

Hayate swallowed down the rising bile from the thought. If that was the case, then Kenshi's death was on his head. As the Sensei to Team Thirteen, he was ultimately responsible for their failures. "By all means," the leader of Konohagakure permitted.

"Hello everyone, I am Hayate," the man rose and turned to greet the participants of the next exam. He paused, not sure if the kids would respond at all. He took the moment to study those that were standing before him. All of them were teams from Konoha, save two. One of the foreign groups from Suna, and the other from the mysterious Otogakure. Hayate didn't think that any team from Konoha would strike down one of their own, but stranger things have happened.

"Before we begin the third exam," he began explaining but the persistent irritation in the back of his throat just wouldn't clear no matter how he coughed, "there's something we need to do first."

It was cute how some of the genin looked concerned for his condition. The team from Suna didn't seem to care. Well, the auburn haired kid didn't care, the other two seemed to be in disbelief about something. They had garnered a reputation after passing the second exam within a two hour span. This meant they were not suspects. The medical examiner confirmed the time of death to be about eighteen hours after the exam began. Also there was a poison involved. No word yet on the chemical makeup of the poison, but it wasn't a toxin that was typical of a shinobi of Kaze no Kuni.

"It's a preliminary for the third test," his explanation broken up once more by his condition. "It will decide who goes to the third round of the exam."

"Preliminary?" A frustrated looking Nara asked. "What do you mean?"

"Sensei," a girl with pink hair chimed in. "I don't understand. Why aren't all of the people here allowed to participate in the next test?"

Hayate waited for the protests to die down. It was expected, and understandable. Many of these kids went through quite the ordeal surviving the forest, but the rules of the Chūnin Exams were quite clear.

"There are too many that passed the second round this year, so we have to cut down the number of fights. There will be many important people watching and we can't waste their time since the matches could last a while. So, those who feel like quitting please step forward now since we will start the preliminary immediately"

"What?" An Inuzaka shouted in disbelief. "Right now?"

The realization was that some of the contestants were at an immediate disadvantage since they only just recently arrived. Others had the time to be quite well rested. Hayate quietly scanned the crowd while the students made up their minds. The team from Oto was rather curious. The hunchback didn't appear phased, the girl seemed to be looking for an easy matchup, while the boy whose arms were in slings was glaring rather malevolently at Uchiha Sasuke.

According to the latest reports, Kakashi's genin team also had a run in with Orochimaru. Or at least that was what the criminal had implied after he ran into Anko. Still, there was something in that glare the injured kid was throwing toward Sasuke. It wasn't just the desire to fight. It was a lust for blood. This was about settling a score. That hatred was personal. Was there some connection between Oto and Orochimaru? The implications ran rampant in Hayate's mind.

'_Jiraiya-sama never was able to fully infiltrate Orochimaru's network_,' the jōnin speculated. '_Could that traitor have started a village right under our nose?_'

"I'm going to quit," a glasses wearing teen blurted cheerfully snapping Hayate away from his thoughts. His mind focusing on what was right in front of him made him realize just how outlandish his theory honestly was. Orochimaru, despite his legend, couldn't possibly pull together an entire village with the reputation he had gained as the greatest traitor of Konohagakure.

"Kabuto-san," Naruto's voice was an unexpected response. Hayate flipped through his roster and marked the genin as having failed. The blond seemed to know this kid despite being several years his junior. It was possible they met in the forest.

"You're Yakushi Kabuto of Konoha?" The jōnin asked already knowing the answer. The kid was supposed to be the adopted son the Captain of the Iryō Butai, and had failed the Chūnin Exams countless times. He was supposedly quite skilled as a medic, but any shinobi that could use Iryō Ninjutsu as a genin should be able to coast through the exams. "You may leave now."

Without any qualms or objections, Kabuto did just that.

"Kabuto-san!" Naruto shouted causing the elder genin to turn toward the boy. "Why are you quitting? Why?"

'_Why indeed?_' Hayate asked himself. '_After failing all this time, why quit now after coming so close. Just showing in the finals could get you promoted? Don't you want to advance?_'

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun," the young man responded kindly to the blond's demands. "But I'm still a little beat up. Actually, I was bitten by a snake during the second exam and I lost a lot of blood trying to get rid of the venom. It's taking everything I have to stay standing right now."

Hayate couldn't see from his angle, but Kabuto appeared to be revealing the injury to the young Uzumaki. Purging venom by letting blood is a risky maneuver, even for a trained medic. Most anti-venom in Konoha could treat a snakebite from the indigenous species. As a young medic, Kabuto may have even crafted his own antidotes to a wide variety of poisons and venoms. '_Why would you resort to bleeding out the venom when an antidote should have done the trick?_'

The jōnin made note of his suspicions and decided to do a little research later. If there was anything worth noting, then he'd follow up with the Hokage. He trusted his Hokage would be investigating both Kenshi's death and tracking down Orochimaru's whereabouts with all diligence, and he would let the ANBU carry out that pledge. This of course didn't mean that he couldn't look into a possible lead. The kids from Oto warranted a background check as did this Kabuto character. Until then, Hayate had his own job to do.

"Does anyone else wish to drop out?" The examiner asked. After a few minutes of waiting Hayate didn't see any volunteers stepping forward. "Alright. Let's begin the preliminary."

* * *

Beyond the fence and finally out of that stupid forest. The breeze was a constant feature of the weather today, and it was welcome. The rushing wind brought a fresh feeling to his face and he breathed deep the sweet smell of freedom and success. Naruto was more than proud of his own performance during the preliminary round. He had gotten the best of Kiba, who had always thwarted him during the taijutsu spars in the Academy. In a small and subtle way, he had reminded everyone there that Uzumaki Naruto was not a pushover.

Now he had to prepare. One month from today he would square off against Hyūga Neji. This guy was the real deal. He was the top of his class, just like Sasuke. He was a genius of the Hyūga style of combat. He was Yurushi's longtime friend and rival. His blond hair grew more unruly by the breeze, and blue eyes fixed on the sunshine just behind the clouds. Naruto could feel it deep in his bones. Inside he knew he would win.

The ambitious young man knew he would win because the fight was personal. Neji had always challenged his cousin's personal beliefs. Neji had viciously assaulted someone that was his family. Someone the blond had come to view as a friend. Neji had coldly approached all of it with the arrogance that it was meant to happen. Like only those who started at the top could ever be among the best. He had the nerve to say that a loser would always be a loser, and that hard work could accomplish nothing without having natural talent.

Guys like that pissed him off, and he would teach Neji a thing or two about what hard work could do. If he did it for no other reason, he would win to restore Hinata's faith in herself. No one, absolutely no one, should treat family the way Neji treated his cousin. The blond knew that he and Yurushi had their share of fights, disagreements, and then there was the _Great Prank War of Doom_, but never did they harbor such hatred that Neji displayed to his cousin. The guy tried to kill her. Family didn't do that sort of thing.

"Alright," Kakashi-sensei broke the silence that had developed during their travel through the training ground. "Good work you two. I have to say that I'm very proud of your performance today. Naruto, I want you to meet with me tomorrow morning at our usual spot and I'll fill you in on how you'll be getting ready for your fight in the final round. Sakura, I'll meet up with you tomorrow afternoon and give you some training exercises to do."

"Alright Sensei," Sakura answered. "Does that mean that we won't be doing missions or team training for the next month?"

"That's right," their masked Sensei smiled back in his own special way. "I need to make sure that Sasuke and Naruto will be able to put on a good show during the finals. I want them to get promoted and take Asuma for all he's worth."

"You wanna do what?" The confused jinchūriki scratched his head. What did Asuma-sensei have to do with him getting promoted? He shrugged when the cyclopean jōnin said it was nothing and withdrew his favorite orange book.

"Well, I'll see you two tomorrow," Kakashi said forming a hand seal. "Try and get some rest Naruto. Training to fight against Neji isn't going to be easy like tree climbing was."

Naruto bristled at the thought. Tree climbing wasn't easy at all. That was crazy hard, and the only reason that he had caught onto it so fast was because there was no way on this earth that he was going to let Sasuke beat him. The teacher of Team Seven disappeared in a burst of smoke leaving the two genin alone in their thoughts.

Starting the long walk back home Naruto was trying to think of what Kakashi-sensei was going to teach him so he could take down his opponent. His Sensei had copied a thousand different jutsu with his Sharingan, one of them had to be a super awesome, totally unbeatable jutsu that would leave Neji helpless. He needed something really good. Kage Bunshin was a handy move to have in a fight, but his opponent was an expert in taijutsu. More so, he was from a clan with legendary taijutsu style, taught by a Sensei feared for his taijutsu, and sparred against Lee who was some sort of taijutsu fiend.

The blond knew what his own style was, and close range combat was the heart and soul of his approach to a fight. "Hey Naruto," in the back of his mind he registered a voice, but the blond was trying to figure out if he could learn how to use a sword as well as his cousin in the span of a month. He almost regretted not taking up Yurushi's offer of lessons a few years back.

"Hey! Naruto!" Sakura shouted, breaking him from his planning.

"Huh, oh, sorry Sakura-chan I was just thinking," he answered scratching the back of his neck.

"I just wanted to say congratulations on making it to the finals," the girl of his dreams said brushing a strand of pink hair behind her ear.

"Thanks Sakura-chan! You did a really great job too!" Naruto excitedly replied. Sakura was so close to winning but now that she seemed to have patched things up with Ino, maybe that was where she really won. Friends shouldn't stay mad at each other, especially for stupid stuff like Sasuke.

"Thanks, but I didn't do all that well," Sakura returned with a downcast look.

"Yeah you did! You were awesome!" Naruto defended his assessment. "You beat that jutsu Ino used on you to take control of your mind and stuff. That thing was supposed to be unbreakable. It was amazing!"

"Thanks Naruto," she acknowledged weakly. "It wasn't all that impressive. After all that happened during the exams, I know I need to start training more. You have way more skill than I do."

"What? You're just as good as me or Sasuke." He objected. She was great at all sorts of things. Not every ninja was the same, and different people had different skills. "Besides, it was a pretty awesome fight you and Ino had."

"Even though I didn't use any flashy techniques?" The pink haired girl asked.

"Sure," he confirmed. "I didn't really use anything too special either, and I came up with those finishing moves on the spot. It was a cool combination attack in my first match though."

"Um, no," Sakura corrected. "It was disgusting. I mean, you farted in Kiba's face, and totally copied off of Sasuke-kun."

"What? No way! That was all original!" He defended.

"Yeah, sure it was," the green eyed beauty mocked. "It was about as original as the move Sasuke-kun used."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now he was confused. Sasuke's combo looked pretty original to him.

"Didn't you hear what Sensei said?" The girl admonished. "He copied Lee's move with his Sharingan, but made up the end all by himself. You stole the opening move from Sasuke-kun and just came up with a different ending."

Not a chance. Sasuke didn't use Kage Bunshin at all in his maneuver, so they were nowhere near the same. He wasn't going to tell that to her though. When Sakura-chan was lecturing, there was no arguing with it. Most of the time that he had tried to argue with her she used big words and said stuff that didn't really explain how he was wrong. Usually, he didn't even understand what she said at all. So, he did what he usually did. He let it drop.

Debating with Yurushi was about the same. He couldn't out smart his cousin, so he rarely tried to. Then it clicked. He remembered asking himself the question right before the preliminary round began, but with the fights starting right away he forgot all about it. Yurushi and his team hadn't been there at all.

They sparred together all the time. On the weekends, before Naruto graduated, he would occasionally train with his cousin's team. He knew exactly what Team Thirteen was capable of. There was no reason, no reason whatsoever, for his cousin's team not to have made it past the second round. They were too good not to have made it. In fact, there wasn't an explanation Naruto could think of that would have kept Yurushi from making it to the finals. Well, no explanation that didn't involve something really, really bad happening.

'_What happened Yurushi?_' Naruto asked himself just wanting an answer of some sort. '_Why weren't you there?_'

His stomach growled which meant that the answer to that question would have to wait. Yurushi couldn't have gotten himself in too much trouble. It might not have been a matter of skill anyway. It could have been that they just couldn't find the right scroll before time ran out. Stomach rumbling again, Naruto could hear Ramen Ichiraku calling for him. Yurushi had to know that after five days without ramen Ichiraku's would be the first place he'd go. The guy had probably placed an order for him too.

"Well," Naruto broke the silence the pair of teammates had settled into. "I'm starving! You want to go with me to get some ramen Sakura-chan?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Naruto?" Sakura growled under her breath.

"What? No! No way!" The blond denied emphatically before deciding to try and seize the opportunity that was implied. "Unless, I mean, well, if you wanted it to be one then I guess, but I was just asking if you wanted to go and get some lunch."

"Oh," the once aggravated face calmed down. "I think I'll pass. I wanted to go and see how Sasuke-kun was doing. After his fight, Kakashi-sensei just took him away."

"Yeah," Naruto recalled how quickly his rival was escorted out of the arena. "Where did Kakashi-sensei take him anyway?"

"The hospital I guess," his teammate responded, "but I don't really know for sure. That was the first place I was going to look."

"I'll help you find him, but I _really_ need to get something to eat first," he offered with a grin. He hoped that Sakura-chan would say yes. It wasn't a date, and not because he didn't want it to be one. Yurushi had taught him not to push that kind of thing with girls, and Sakura had made perfectly clear that she didn't want to go on a date with him. Besides, Sakura had become a good friend, just like Sasuke had. Friends did stuff together and that's all that he had ever wanted; someone that acknowledged him and brought an end to the loneliness.

'_Plus, she's a whole lot easier to look at than Sasuke's dumb face,_' Naruto thought while waiting the kunoichi's decision. '_She smells better too._'

"Alright," the emerald eyes locked on his. "I'll go with you and then we can go see how Sasuke-kun is doing after."

Naruto was a little dumbfounded. He honestly wasn't expecting her to say yes, but it just happened. First he wins his match and makes it to the finals, and then Sakura agrees to go to lunch with him. What could happen next? It was shaping up to be the best day ever, and he sure wasn't going to waste it just standing around.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Naruto grabbed the girl's hand and started running off toward his favorite dining spot. Today was a great day, and it seemed as if nothing could change that.

* * *

The sheen of the countertop was brilliant. Tossing the dampened cloth into a bin so it could be washed later, Teuchi took a breather for the first time since opening the famed ramen stand this morning. There was always a lull mid to late afternoon, and it was the only chance he had to take a break, clean things up, and get ready for the busy dinner hours. A clean counter meant only one thing to him though; it wasn't being used.

Sure, he preferred when everything was spick and span. But he really liked it when the countertop had stacks of empty bowls, drops of broth that had spilled onto the surface, and cups that needed to be refilled. It meant that people were eating, conversing, and having a good time. There was something about ramen that just opened the soul. It reminded him of home, and simpler days when dreams were just as tangible as the waking world.

Life wasn't like that anymore. Not for anyone it seemed. Wars and rumors of wars had raged, tragedy struck the village every time he turned around, and disappointment dropped in every so often. Still, there was something about the aromas and tastes of his mother's recipe that reminded him of the hope and promise that he held as a child. It was the hope and promise that dwelt in the future, just waiting for you to seize it. As he grew he realized that no matter what had happened, his mother's ramen always reminded him that hope was still alive. No matter what, it was still there.

That was the reason he opened the small restaurant in the first place. He wanted to share that feeling with his village. Ramen would never solve anyone's problems, and it couldn't make hardship go away, but if it could help just one person forget their troubles for a moment then it was all worth it. He only hoped that his daughter saw this restaurant the same way he did. There were times, especially in her early teens, where she thought the whole thing was stupid. She wanted a life of adventure, and ramen just wasn't that exciting to her.

He could understand that. While he did recruit her to help run things in his wife's stead, he wouldn't make her carry on when his time had come. She had to forge her own path in life. She had to go after the thing that gave her hope. With any luck, she would take that thing and find a way to share it with everyone in the village. If he wanted anything for his daughter, aside from the obvious fatherly desires like happiness and health, he wanted her to be a source of hope.

"I'm going to the store real quick," Ayame said as she burst to the storefront in a blur of activity. She looked a bit frazzled. "We're running low on eggs and I want to make sure we have enough for tomorrow."

"Do we have enough for tonight?" He asked. They had done a lot of business today. One of them had been busy cooking a fresh batch of ramen since long before they opened, and it hadn't stopped until now.

"We should," she answered having grabbed some money and the shopping bag they kept handy for moments like this. "I also have a batch simmering right now. Its miso, just in case Naruto shows up."

"Alright," he called as his daughter practically sprinted out the door. He shook his head with a grin. "Always in a hurry."

Then again, days like today they needed to hurry. It wasn't like they could just close up shop in the middle of lunch. Even if they needed supplies. With just the two of them a quick run to the store could bring the whole operation to a halt. Luckily there was a grocer around the corner. It wasn't their preferred place to stock up. Some of the ingredients didn't meet Teuchi's standards, but in desperate times like now it was a gift from Kami. That and his daughter always had a good sense of what they needed to grab to make it through the week before they got restocked by the usual supplier.

The aging chef never had an inkling of an idea so much logistics went into keep this place running until he opened up shop. He learned quickly though, and his daughter stepped up and became something of a savant at running their small business. Little by little she was taking over, and freeing him up to mingle with the patrons. It felt good to finally pass off the torch, but he still had to hope that his daughter actually wanted this for her life. He didn't want her to feel pressured into carrying on the family business if she didn't want to.

Ayame was a good girl, and was becoming a beautiful young woman right under his nose. It seemed just yesterday when she would clamber up into his arms so she could help him make dinner. Where did the time go? Had he been in such a hurry that he misplaced it all? He was getting old. The stiffness in his knees had been the first sign, but Ayame was the constant reminder. She had grown up, and it wouldn't be long before she meets a fine young man, gets married, and begins to make a life and family of her own.

Time flies.

"Hey! Slow down!" The sounds of shouting called out in the distance. "Let go of me!"

Teuchi froze for a second. From this distance he couldn't quite make out the voice, but it sounded like a young girl, and she was getting closer. Crime was a rarity within the security of Konohagakure. Shinobi served and protected the village within the walls and without. Although, thuggery and villainy happened everywhere in some form or another. He certainly was not going to go and pick a fight, the elder grabbed a broom with all intentions of scaring off the troublemaker down the street.

"Naruto!" The voice drew closer and rang louder. Teuchi let out a sigh of relief. It was Naruto. His restaurant was out of the way for the blond to be going home, so if he was nearby it was to eat some world famous Ramen Ichiraku. The greying chef went in the back of the shop to grab a few empty bowls and fill them with the blond's regular order.

"Ouch!" The rascal shouted with a small crash. The kid probably collided with the bar stools. Sometimes he was in such a hurry to eat his favorite food he got a little clumsy. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he took a tumble trying to grab some dinner. "Sakura-chan, you didn't have to hit so hard."

"You were dragging me all across the village!" This _Sakura-chan_ replied with heat. "A girl doesn't like being yanked around like that."

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto groaned in complaint. "This is the best ramen ever! Besides, it's right in between the lunch and dinner rush, so it's the best time to get something. I wanted to get here while we had the place to ourselves."

"I thought you said this wasn't a date!" The girl growled threateningly.

"It's not!" The boy panicked. "I swear it isn't. I just like talking with ol' man Teuchi and Ayame-chan. You can't really do that when it's crowded."

"Ayame-chan?" The girl sounded puzzled. "Who is that? Naruto, do you have a girlfriend?"

Walking out to the storefront Teuchi was greeted with the sight of the couple. The girl was a dainty little thing. Her long flowing pink hair that framed her round face made her look every bit the child that she was. The emerald green eyes were fixed on Naruto's blue orbs, and Sakura appeared to be working the boy over for good bits of gossip. The hitai-ate she wore atop her head looked ill placed. The girl simply didn't seem to fit as a shinobi.

"Well, um, ah," the blond struggled for words to properly explain the relationship between himself and his daughter. Were Ayame around, she would be provoking the knucklehead to endless amounts of embarrassment. She would be gushing about the intimate details of their _undying love_ for one another. The reality was that the two were close friends. He and his daughter always treated Naruto as a part of the family, and that made him the target of friendly teasing when the kid brought his friends for lunch.

"Ayame-chan is my daughter," Teuchi interjected himself sternly as he set the pair of bowls down in front of the genin with a hint of aggravation, "and unless Naruto has been lying to me they are not dating one another."

The boy turned, chuckling nervously as the chef leveled a hard stare at the blond. Just because Ayame wasn't here didn't mean that Naruto wasn't going to be teased relentlessly. Fear was lit in his eyes and sweat was beginning to build up on his brow. The weight of Teuchi's acted fury was going to make the ruffian confess to crimes he didn't commit. "You haven't been lying to me, have you Naruto?" Teuchi asked darkly.

"Umm, ah," the child gulped. Naruto was so rattled that he hadn't even noticed the ramen in front of him. "No, honest!"

Unable to take it anymore, the noodle master burst with hearty laughter. "I'm just messing with you," he admitted wiping a tear from his eye. It was nice to be one of the few people in Konohagakure that could prank Naruto so freely.

"Whew," the kid sighed. "Don't scare me like that old man! I thought you were being serious that time!"

The flap behind Naruto drew back slowly as a brown haired, dark eyed young woman leaned in toward the genin's ear. "You don't have to lie Naruto-kun. You can tell him our plans," Ayame's sultry tones were dripping with affection.

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin after his daughter made her presence known. "What are you talkin' about?" Blue eyes danced between all parties present, "I don't know what she's talkin' about old man I swear! Sakura-chan, tell 'em I don't know what she's talkin' about?"

"Naruto-kun, is this another woman?" Ayame feigned insult handing off the sack of groceries that she was carrying to the chef. "You told me that we would elope together. You promised that we'd move to a small country village and open a tsukemen bar together. And here you are cheating on me!"

"I, uh, it's not, uh," Teuchi had to laugh as the poor befuddled boy was stammering looking for any sort of response. He just wasn't prepared today.

"Well," Ayame looked expectantly. "At least introduce us."

"My name is Haruno Sakura," the girl answered politely taking initiative as her classmate sat with a vapid look on his face. "I'm on Naruto's team. That's all. We totally aren't dating or anything."

"It's nice to meet you. I guess I couldn't expect to keep a hunk like Naruto all to myself," the chef's daughter giggled while Sakura wordlessly tried to deny the implication. "Oh well, I guess I'll just go back to the kitchen and get ready for dinner. See ya later Naruto-kun."

Perhaps his daughter went a little too far this time, dragging the Uzumaki's friend into her taunts, but Naruto was always so animated in his responses. Without even realizing it the kid had given the pair of ramen specialists something to laugh at for the next week or so. "Please," Teuchi returned the pair of kid's attention to their quickly cooling lunch, "go ahead and eat. You don't want the ramen to get cold."

"Um," the girl eyed the ramen skeptically as the boy finally returned from his state of confusion.

"Come on Sakura-chan, just try it!" Naruto egged her on, and the girl sat down. "This is the best ramen in the whole world. You'll love it!"

"If you say so," she answered sending a testing glance at her partner.

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed as he dug in. Just as he fell into his normal eating rhythm, a hand quickly and fiercely grabbed him by the ear and threatened to pull it off his head. "Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Leggo!"

"Not until you promise that you are going to behave like a gentleman," Sakura replied sweetly. "You can eat like an animal around your cousin, but not in front of a lady."

"Okay, okay!" The prone blond relented, as he looked helplessly at his dinner growing colder by the second. "I promise! I promise! Please let go!"

"Good," Sakura let go and picked up her chopsticks, smiling at her victory. "Just so you know, acting like that would guarantee that I never go out with you."

Teuchi was practically rolling with laughter. For the sake of the kid's dignity he kept the humor to himself. He couldn't remember enjoying the poor kid's antics so much. Nor had he ever seen the blond getting into trouble from someone his own age. Yurushi scolded sternly, and corrected occasionally, but never disciplined. This girl took it upon herself to actively keep Naruto in line. A full time job if there was one. Naruto was vigorously rubbing his ear, and eager to return to his meal. Even at his sedate pace, the boy would be done with his first bowl soon. The man grabbed the supplies his daughter had picked up and retreated to the kitchen.

Ayame was just about done with Naruto's seconds, but Teuchi was growing a bit concerned. It had been months since the boy graduated. This girl was his teammate, but they sat in silence. He couldn't hear any conversations from the bar flowing into the kitchen. Unless they were speaking in hushed tones it didn't seem that they had any intentions to speak at all. '_First dates are pretty awkward for kids that age,_' the chef took the second serving that his daughter handed him and set about to jumpstart some conversation.

Stepping through the doorway that divided his dining area from his kitchen, Teuchi beamed with mirth. "So I heard that you were going to be in the finals Naruto."

"Oh yeah?" The boy grinned. "Who told you that?"

"Iruka stopped by for lunch this afternoon and he gave me the news," he answered. That man kept tabs on the blond, and the teacher had been proud to give the news to everyone eating lunch today. It made waves, and Teuchi had even heard a few men saying that they'd consider placing a bet on the kid to win his match.

"Then you should know that I'm not just in the finals, but I'm going to win!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Naruto!" Sakura objected. "You have to beat Neji and two other people before you could win. Neji's supposed to be really good, so don't get too far ahead of yourself."

"Come on Sakura-chan," Naruto moaned. "I can totally take that jerk. I'll beat him for sure, especially after what he did to Hinata."

"I'm sure you can win," Teuchi agreed. "Just make sure you train really hard. Just because you have a month doesn't mean you can slack off."

"Yeah," Naruto shook his head as he finished up his first serving. "You don't have to worry about that. I'll be ready!"

"I hope so," Sakura chirped. "You know who's going to be waiting for you in the next round."

"I know," the blond said as he took the next bowl of ramen. "I'll be ready. I just hope that Sasuke's ready for me."

Returning to prepare another round for the blond Teuchi sighed. Even Naruto was growing up. It wouldn't be long before the child became a man. As far as he was concerned, the man that the blond was sure to become would eventually be the Hokage. Time flies. It took him a long time to realize it, but the smallest moments were sometimes the most precious. Most often, it was the little things that lasted the longest.

Morning walks with Ayame on her way to school. Late nights dancing in the kitchen basking in the warmth of Megumi's ever present smile. Family contests to determine who could make noodles the fastest without losing quality. There were so many memories spread across his life, and when they were happening they all seemed so innocuous. Little did he know that those were the things that would last; those were the moments that Teuchi had clung to. It was always the small and unassuming that made the biggest impact. Grabbing what was meant to be Naruto's third helping, Teuchi hoped that he had given moments like that for the blond to reflect on. The kid had so little in life, but hearing the child's laughter and seeing his wide smile the chef knew that the kid had struggled against his isolation and triumphed over it.

* * *

The walk toward the hospital was a silent one. Her hands were clasped in front of her as she watched her feet carry her forward. He hadn't said anything in the past ten minutes, which was one of the many things that left her feeling troubled. Her emerald eyes studied him from the corners of her vision. He really hadn't been the same kind of person that he was years ago. He could be loud, obnoxious, and a total pain, but she had determined that behavior was more habitual than a true reflection of who he was.

Then again, she really didn't know who he was. In many ways he was as much a mystery as Sasuke-kun. His nonchalant attitude radiated an easygoing aura, but his eyes were focused on something distant. He was deep in his thoughts. Usually when he was relaxed his gaze shifted from one thing to another as quickly as his mouth moved. She had a hard time pinning Naruto down, and Sakura wasn't too sure what she could say. Naruto just wasn't open about things. For as welcoming as he was to people, there were walls that he built to keep most people away.

Clearing her throat, she caught herself before asking an overtly forward question. Something was bothering him, but there was no way that he would trust her with his problems if she was as blunt as she wanted to be. Brushing pink strands of hair behind her ear, Sakura decided that she was going to ease her teammate into divulging his thoughts. She had been the weak link of the team because she didn't train as she should. More importantly, Sakura realized that what may be a greatest weakness was the lack of understanding she had about her teammates.

Sasuke-kun had trusted her with the secret of that seal Orochimaru had given him, but it wasn't because he wanted to. He did so out of necessity. He did it because he didn't want anyone else to know. It was why she was so glad Kakashi-sensei was so observant, because she wasn't sure she had it in her to break Sasuke-kun's trust by telling her teacher. It was the first time that he had ever expressed any need of her, no matter how disingenuous it may have been, it felt amazing to be so important to her crush.

Still, if she was going to be a better teammate and finally carry her own weight, then she needed Naruto to trust her as well. Frankly, she wanted the blond to be open with her. If for no other reason it was because Naruto had always put trust and confidence in her. Turnabout was fair play, but he was long overdue in giving her the chance the chance to prove that trust was well placed. Reluctant as she might be to admit it in the open, Naruto was a good friend, and it was time she acted like that was the truth.

"Um," Sakura started and stopped, unsure of how to proceed. "You know, you really didn't have to pay for my lunch Naruto."

"Aww, it was nothing Sakura-chan," he answered resting his hands behind his head. "Besides, old man Teuchi said mine was on the house to congratulate me for making it to the finals, so it wasn't like I was spending a fortune."

"Well, um, thank you Naruto," she grinned halfheartedly. She had never really tried to get Naruto to be serious, and she had no way of knowing how to go about getting the results she wanted.

"You alright Sakura-chan," he questioned with sincere eyes. Hues of blue mixed with the sunlight, and she couldn't help but feel his concern. "You seem pretty distracted."

"Yeah, I guess I am," she answered honestly. "I'm just worried about Sasuke-kun."

Not entirely a lie, but not entirely the truth.

"Don't worry about it," He replied calmly. "Kakashi-sensei is taking care of him right?"

Sakura nodded wordlessly.

"See," Naruto answered. "Nothin' to worry about. Kakashi-sensei is the best! He'll know how to handle it."

Sakura hoped that was true. After the Uchiha had woken from the damage done to him during the second exam he was an entirely different person. For a brief moment he was ruthless, and almost gleeful at the prospect of ripping off the arms of one of her attackers. The brutality of that moment was shocking. It wasn't Sasuke, it was like someone or something else had taken over his body. With every crack and snap coming from that Oto ninja's arms she became more and more concerned with what Sasuke-kun would try to do next. His visage had been far from the calm and cool composure he had normally worn. It was insanity.

"I guess so," Sakura muttered. "You know you really don't have to come with me to visit him if you don't want to. I'm sure you have better stuff to do."

"Nah, it's cool," The blond shrugged. "I told you I'd help you find Sasuke after lunch, so that's what I'm gonna do. Besides, I kind of want to check on something while I'm out."

"Check on what?" Sakura tried not to sound too excited. She really wanted to understand what was troubling the blond. It would be one step toward being the better teammate that would be a benefit to Team Seven, and it would help Naruto realize that he could be open with her.

"Well," he paused. "It's nothing really. We should hurry up and find Sasuke."

"Naruto," she sighed. Throwing all caution to the wind Sakura stepped out infront of her partner heading off his progress. "We aren't going anywhere until you tell me what's been bothering you!"

Naruto gave her a confused look for a moment before shifting his gaze elsewhere. He didn't want to talk about it. Perhaps she had been too forceful, or perhaps it was just too personal. Either way, it was not what the kunoichi had been hoping for. She had been trying to avoid being so blunt, but his dismissive attitude got the better of her.

"It's nothing to worry about," he answered almost curtly before walking around her continuing toward the hospital.

"Hey! Hold on!" The pink haired girl winced a little at her immediate response. It was so aggravating to be brushed aside like that, especially from him. "Look, I'm not trying to be nosy or anything!"

"Then don't worry about it Sakura," Naruto replied softly as she caught up to him. "I said I'd deal with it after I help you find Sasuke."

"I'm just trying to help," Sakura tried to explain. Naruto was clamming up. There was so much about the blond that she didn't know because there was so little that he ever revealed. Ever since her later days in the Academy, she knew that Naruto was an enigma, but there had never been any chance to figure him out. He never gave anyone the chance to figure out what made him tick. Beneath the talk of being Hokage and the obsession with ramen, there was so much more to him.

"Its fine Sakura-chan," he smiled broadly. It was meant to reassure her, but it was too fake to be ignored. "Really, it's nothing serious."

"You know you don't have to do things alone anymore," she tried pointing out. "I want to help you out if you need it."

"It can wait," Naruto stared down at the ground. "We need to make sure that Sasuke's okay and I need to make sure he wins his fight so we can face each other in the finals."

Sakura didn't know what else to say. He just kept deflecting and diverting the issue at hand. '_Maybe it really is no big deal,_' she figured since the blond kept insisting. He could be so stubborn though. Even if it wasn't a big deal and he really did need help, if he convinced himself that he could do it on his own, then that was how he wanted it. Nothing changed his mind once Naruto had set it on something. His determination could easily be bullheadedness if he wasn't careful.

"No!" Sakura demanded if he was going to be stubborn, then so would she. It was time to introduce the unstoppable force to an immovable object and see what happened. "Something is bothering you. I can tell that it's been on your mind for a while now, and you're going to let me help you!"

"Why?" Naruto asked indignantly.

"Because you're my friend, and I want to help," and it was as simple as that. Screw subtlety. Since when had that moron ever picked up on it anyway? If he wasn't going to crawl out of his shell, then she was going to drag him out. She was going to be a better friend to him whether he wanted her to or not.

"Really?" He sounded doubtful.

"Of course!" Sakura was on her last nerve. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Anger wouldn't help her reply sound as genuine as it was. "How many times have you been there for me? You should know by now that you can trust me to be there for you too. I'm your friend and your teammate, so we'll always have each other's back right?"

"Yeah," Naruto admitted not entirely convinced.

"So if you have something that is bothering you, then you can tell me," green eyes were drilling deeply into his hesitant blues. "You said that Sasuke-kun was with Kakashi-sensei, so there is nothing to worry about."

"I guess," he sighed.

"Good," Sakura grinned in victory. "So, Naruto, what is on your mind?"

"Well," he paused as if debating whether or not to say anything. "It's Yurushi."

"Your cousin?" She questioned. What did he have to do with anything?

"I haven't seen him since the start of the second round, and I can't help but wonder if he got hurt or something."

"Well, since we're already on our way we can check to see if he's at the hospital," the solution was simple. If Naruto's cousin wasn't there, then he must have been somewhere around the village. It was possible that his team didn't pass the second exams. Orochimaru destroyed one of the scrolls, so there was at least one fewer pairs of scrolls to collect. "Are you sure he's not at your house?"

"No, but if he hadn't passed the second exam, then he would have been waiting for me outside the training ground," Sakura understood that. The few instances she had seen the redheaded Uzumaki he had always kept a very careful eye on his kin. From what she had seen, they spent as much of their free time together as they could.

"Don't worry," Sakura reassured her disparaging friend. "We'll find him. I'm sure he's fine."

There was no way of knowing until they found the guy, but it was nice to see Naruto smile with the confidence that came from having a friend in his corner. He always tried to take on so much by himself, and Sakura wasn't going to just sit back anymore. She was going to be a better kunoichi, a better teammate, and a better friend. This meant improving her relationship with Naruto as much as it meant building upon her bond with Sasuke-kun. After all, they were all comrades and members of Team Seven, and Sakura wasn't about to become the kind of trash that would abandon her comrades.


	28. Of Death and Loss

**Chapter 28: Of Death and Loss**

"The loss of a friend is like that of a limb; time may heal the anguish of the wound, but the loss cannot be repaired." - Robert Southey

* * *

Waking was an agonizing affair. Through the blurred vision, everything was painfully bright. A rush of air entered his nose and the overwhelming smell of bleach and disinfectants burned. Trying to readjust his position where he was laying down ignited pain in his arm. A firm hand was set on his chest, and Yurushi's eyes flung open to try and determine if this was an attacker he had to repel. Focus returned to his sight, and he saw Hayate-sensei standing over him. His eyes were dark. Rings of exhaustion were a fixed feature beneath his beady eyes.

"Don't move around too much," the man coughed. "You need to take things slow until you can build your strength up."

That prospect agreed with him for now. It was a struggle to move much of anything. He felt utterly drained. He noticed a pair of sealing tags attached to his wrists. Studying them for a moment, the redhead wondered why someone had felt the need to suppress his chakra. It certainly explained why he was entirely too tired.

"We needed to make sure that you had a fighting chance," Hayate-sensei started to explain. "The suppression tags will be necessary for the time being, until we can find a solution for this."

_This_ was explained by a piece of paper that his Sensei held up for him to look at. The shape was three slim crescent shapes that encircled some invisible point in the center. One of the crescent shapes nearly bisected another through the apex of the arch, and the result was a shape that resembled a curved equilateral triangle with sides that extended past a corner in one direction. He didn't know what it was supposed to mean, but it looked like it could have been fūinjutsu of some variety.

"Sensei," Yurushi mumbled finding himself still slow to wake. "What is that?"

"This is the Chi no Juin," the jōnin answered gravely. The redhead immediately understood the reason for his mood. That seal was juinjutsu, and unlike anything he had ever seen before. "We found it on your arm."

"On my," he couldn't even bring himself to finish the sentence before checking over his left arm. Finding it in a sling he turned to his right and found the offending technique marring the surface of his forearm near fulcrum that was his elbow. The moment of shock and curiosity gave way to recollection of what had happened. That ninja had bit him in that very spot. Somehow, the shinobi had used that as a method to apply the seal. It was an unconventional method, but not entirely unheard of.

"Do you know anything about what that seal is?" Hayate asked before taking a seat in a nearby chair. Looking around, Yurushi tried to consider the possible affects that this seal would have. He had a few ideas, but none of them fit with the overall design of the sealing tag. At least, nothing within his admittedly limited knowledge came to mind; this seal was beyond him. That didn't mean that he had no theories, just no answers. Shaking his head he admitted he knew nothing.

"This is a juinjutsu that was developed by Orochimaru, the traitor of the Sannin," Hayate's sternness was more than apparent. The harsh lights of the room hummed in their fluorescent silence. The darkness outside the window was broken by the occasional flickering of a street lamp. This room was too white, too clean, to focused on him. Was his Sensei accusing him of something?

"Why do I have it?" Yurushi asked. He didn't understand this turn of events.

"That was what I needed to know," Hayate replied focus never shifting or diverting. "How did you get that seal?"

"I don't know," Yurushi knew he hadn't fought against Orochimaru. He had only fought against a shinobi from Kusagakure that was far more powerful than any genin should be. Then it clicked. "I fought a shinobi that had appeared to be from Kusagakure during the exam. Hanami and I faced him by ourselves. Kenshi had gone scouting the area, but didn't return. The ninja had used a Henge to pose as Kenshi, but we found him out immediately after he entered our camp. At one point during the fight he bit me, and that was when I blacked out."

"I see," Hayate mused in silence as he solved the puzzle that was forming in his head. Yurushi only wished that his Sensei would enlighten him as to what the issue was. Whether they liked it or not, this was his problem, and he was a part of it. He needed to remove the juinjutsu as soon as possible. There was no telling what it would do to him.

"Sensei," Yurushi couldn't help but remember the entire purpose of that fight. "What happened to them? Are Hanami and Kenshi alright?"

"Hanami is fine," his teacher answered calmly. The redhead let a sigh of relief pass his lips. He remembered the girl taking several punishing shots from what had obviously been Orochimaru in disguise. "She had a concussion, a pair of fractured ribs, and several scrapes and bruises, but nothing more serious than that. They sent her home yesterday, and she'll be taking it easy for the next few weeks."

"What about Kenshi?" He could hear the trembling in his voice. He didn't like the way Sensei had chosen to answer that question. He said nothing of his best friend's condition, and that was not a good sign. Hayate turned his head and for a long time he didn't answer.

The young Uzumaki gripped the sheets in his fist until his knuckles were white. He closed his eyes. It couldn't be true. Kenshi was still alive. He had to be. He was going to be Hokage, and Yurushi was going to help him get there. He could feel the torrent approaching. It was just beneath the surface, and he couldn't hold it back. In his grief, he could feel the tears seeping through. For what seemed to be hours he cried in silence. No sounds other than pained breathing escaped his clenched teeth.

When he had nothing left, he opened his eyes and wiped his face. Water still blurred his vision, but he waited for Hayate to continue. There was little more that could be said, but his Sensei had remained for a reason. "Do you know what happened," Yurushi asked.

"I was hoping that you had seen something," Hayate-sensei was as lost for answers as he was. It was the blind leading the blind, and all the young genin could do is wish all of it was a bad dream.

"Forensics revealed that he was poisoned," Hayate continued tersely. "The poison was of Orochimaru's design, so he must have joined the fight sometime after you blacked out. They fought for quite some time, but that snake just left somewhere in the middle of it."

Orochimaru didn't kill Kenshi? If the poison wasn't the cause of death then what was?

"When I got there," Hayate continued, still staring at some spot on the blank wall, "he had been dead for nearly a day, and Hanami was inconsolable. You were unconscious and holed up in the camp you had created. Kenshi had his throat slit with a kunai."

He wanted to ask who, but Hayate-sensei didn't know. If Hanami had known what happened then she would have reported something. He tried to think about what had occurred between the bite and waking up here, but there was nothing. No memories surfaced, and no answers revealed themselves. There was one thing that was made certain. Everyone that was responsible was going to pay dearly.

In the back of his mind Yurushi was curious as to the seal on his arm. He wanted to know about the chakra suppressants that were attached to his wrists. He was interested in learning how Naruto and his team had fared during that fateful exam, along with dozens of other things. None of it mattered. Not anymore. His thoughts and questions were locked away for the moment. His best friend was dead, and the only thing he felt was the numbing pulse of grief and rage.

Hayate stood slowly. "Get some sleep," he ordered. "That juinjutsu nearly killed you, and we had to suppress your chakra to keep your chakra network from tearing itself apart."

Walking toward the door Sensei was moving to leave, but Yurushi knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. There was too much. Too much had happened and too much went unexplained. The door opened with a creak. Standing in the doorway, the bandana wearing sword wielder turned his head. Looking at him just over his shoulder, Yurushi waited for his Sensei to speak.

"There was nothing you could have done," the man said. His voice was weary, but firm. "Kenshi's death was not your fault, so I don't want you to try and take my responsibility away from me. You just need to worry about regaining your strength. You and Hanami will need to be strong. You'll need to be strong enough to support each other."

"Sensei," Yurushi stopped his mentor just as he took a step out of the small room. "We are going to find who did this, aren't we?"

The jōnin huffed in resignation. "I told you not to try and take my responsibilities away from me. I'll take care of getting justice for Kenshi, you just worry about recovering."

The lights turned out, and the door clicked shut. Yurushi found himself alone in the silent abyss of his room in the hospital. Sensei was right. There wasn't a thing that he could have done to save Kenshi. Not a damn thing.

* * *

A puff of smoke wafted past his lips. The exasperated breath did more to convey his exhaustion than his frustration at the situation. "So, the boy remembers nothing of what happened?"

"He can only remember his fight with a Kusagakure shinobi," Hayate answered. "This reconfirms reports of Team Seven's encounter with a ninja with a similar description turning into Orochimaru as well as Anko's discovery of corpses belonging to a team from Kusagakure bearing no facial features."

"Very well," Sarutobi would take all the Intel he could get, even if it simply reinforced what they already knew. At least the child was alive. Not many who encountered Orochimaru could ever make such a claim. The wayward student of the Hokage was not one to waste potential talent, but never before did he ever move as brazenly as he had a few days ago. The maniac wanted to make his presence known, which could only mean that he had other plans for being here, and both the Exams and the Uchiha were central to it. Yurushi tied in somehow, but until either ANBU or Jiraiya could distinguish the difference between the Chi no Juin and the Ten no Juin the Hokage couldn't determine which genin was of greater importance.

"Anko," he addressed the woman who was sprawled out on a sofa kept in the office. Honestly, it had been reserved for him during those long nights when he was waiting for critical mission reports and going home just didn't make sense, but lately it seemed that everyone else made use of it. "Were you able to find anything?"

"Nah," she answered, stretching out before sitting up, "I checked every single hideout, lab, and weapon's cache that Orochimaru had in the village, and they haven't seen activity since he left. With your permission I'd like three squads of ANBU to help me search every location he had within a day's walk."

"I'm giving you five squads, and I want results of each search sent in immediately upon completion. Understood?" Orochimaru could not be taken lightly. Sarutobi could not afford to have room in his heart for mercy and fondness this time. When he engaged his former pupil again, one of them would die.

"What about Yakushi?" Hayato choked out with a perturbed look in his eyes. "You said you'd see that investigation through. I thought we agreed that there was something suspicious about him"

"We did, and there is something about him," the Hokage agreed. The boy's excuse for quitting the exams, didn't add up with what was supposedly an area he had been reported to be skilled at. Toxicology was a specialized area, and even though Kabuto Yakushi had the reputation of being careless and shortsighted in the field, he should have known enough about the forests surrounding the village to bring common anti-venoms. "I simply cannot afford to use precious manpower chasing a lead that has not born any fruit."

"You're treating him as though he is a genin," the angered jōnin spat out. "If he were one of Orochimaru's agents sent to spy on us he would be as skilled as any one of our jōnin. A professional spy operating in one place for at least ten years would have to have the ability to look harmless to any ANBU tailing him."

"I understand your concerns, and they are valid Hayate, but I cannot spare any more shinobi to monitor a genin who has not given my best counter-intelligence operatives any reason to suspect him of being anything less than what he claims to be." It had been nearly five days since the preliminary rounds began, and since that time there was a squad of ANBU reporting on Kabuto Yakushi's every breath. With foreign dignitaries already beginning to arrive for the finals he had to pull agents away from other tasks to run security for VIPs. At a time when ANBU was stretched thin already, he couldn't keep wasting resources.

"It's only been five days," the genin instructor growled. "That's not nearly enough time for him to slip up. He managed to weasel his way onto the team running Kenshi's autopsy. That guy is up to something."

"His involvement was solely by the recommendation of the Chief Medical Examiner whom I hand-picked for the job. Doubting her judgement is doubting my judgement, and I would remind you that you have no authority to question my orders. Also, I will not have you slandering my shinobi with unfounded charges of treason. Such behavior will not be tolerated Gekko-san. Make another accusation like that again and there will be consequences."

"Forgive me Hokage-sama," the man responded quickly with a waist level bow. Hayate was angry, not disrespectful, but he needed to be reminded exactly who he was talking to.

"Forgive me for buttin' in," Anko chirped up from her seated position across the room, "but I think Hayate is on to something. Since when has a genin ever been involved in the Iryō Butai to the level this kid has been? He may be pretty good with recognizing poisons and developing antidotes, but _genin_ don't just do that sort of thing for the village like he has. If he's with my bastard Sensei, then he could be our only way to find him."

Sarutobi took in a deep drag of his pipe. The long trail of smoke was released along with any desire to continue this conversation that could have possibly remained. The simple fact was that he could not afford to keep using what few ANBU he had available right now on Kabuto Yakushi. "I see no reason for me to dedicate any more of my ANBU on this lead at this time. Hayate, if you feel so strongly about Kabuto's involvement then I will permit you to carry out this investigation."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," the man bowed again, clearly waiting to be dismissed.

"You will report all of your findings to me directly, and you will not engage him without both having solid proof and my express authorization. I may have full authority to punish crime within our ranks as I see fit, but even I cannot do so without proving guilt. The charge of treason, however grievous, is no different," the tired leader explained. "You are both dismissed."

The pair left quietly, and Sarutobi found himself alone with his thoughts. Hayate was becoming troubled by this entire affair. Letting the man take over the investigation was a compromise that the Hokage was begrudgingly willing to make. It freed up a squad of ANBU, and let the Hayate work through his grief. It was that grief that made him unstable at the moment. It was less than ideal given Hayate's personal and emotional involvement in the matter.

"Yamaneko," the Hokage called out to his silent protector, ever cloaked in shadow. Even now they didn't respond for fear that some unknown onlooker might learn their exact location. No words were needed. The Hokage knew who was there, and he knew that any order given would be carried out. "Keep an eye on Hayate-san when you can spare it. Make sure he doesn't do anything rash."

He wished that he could say his work was finally over for the day, but there was much more that needed to get done, and as each minute passed the sofa began to look more inviting than ever before.

* * *

Hanami stared at the boy as he slept. Yurushi had woken up and spoke with Sensei the other night, and she had hoped to be able to visit with him. He would know what to do now. She still felt numb. Colors weren't as bright, flowers in bloom were less fragrant, and even Tenten hadn't been great company as she usually was. The redhead was perfectly still save the slight rise and fall of his chest. That was the only thing that let her know he was still there, and that he was still alive.

"Why Kenshi?" The violet eyed girl asked her now lost teammate. Putting a hand up against the glass window on the door, Hanami breathed deeply waiting for her surviving teammate to stir. "Why did you have to leave us like this?"

In the days since Sensei found them in Shi no Mori, the world around her had been a blur of activity. She had shut it all out, paying none of it any heed. There was the three days in the hospital, the barrage of questions from countless people, and the lonely walk home. Hanami had ignored it all, because none of it mattered in the least. Nothing was going to be able to bring Kenshi back. He was gone, forever, and she didn't even know why.

There was hope that Yurushi was there, and that he could explain what went wrong. That wouldn't bring back the boy of her dreams either, but it was more than what she had. All that she had was the sympathetic words of well-wishers. Her parents had been comforting, but her mother didn't understand the depth of that loss she felt. Hanami knew that her mother meant well, but having not been a shinobi there was no way to relate.

Her father, on the other hand, simply took her out for some training the moment she was ready. It wasn't physical training, just some chakra control exercises, but it felt good to be doing something. That wasn't the truest way of putting it though. It was simply a relief to finally have something other than Kenshi and Yurushi occupying her mind. She was surprised by her father's sensitivity toward the situation. The way Sensei spoke about him, she had thought he had always been a hardnosed, by the books, mission first kind of ninja. He never gave cut her any slack during their training sessions before, and Hanami hadn't expected any sympathy here.

_Keeping one's self busy is an easy way to move on and force the pain to heal_, he had told her. _It forces you to keep moving forward and to keep pushing on. In time you will be able look back with fondness on the things that have been, and the dreams that you shared._ The words struck her as an impossibility. Even moreso now that the realities of Kenshi's absence are still setting in.

The commotion of the hall picked up as a handful of nurses began to take care of their rounds. A woman slinked her way by her and walked to the foot of Yurushi's bed. Gazing at charts, graphs, and data the petite woman marked something on the paper and walked out of her limited view through the windowed door. Tired, Hanami walked across the hall and sat down on the floor.

She was so tired. Tired of being too weak to protect the people that she cared about. Tired of never feeling that she had courage of her own, but had to draw upon the excess of others. The avalanche of white hair fell over her eyes as she slumped forward. Drawing her knees in on her chest, she fought back a new wave of tears. Kenshi had believed that she had what it took to be a great kunoichi. Yurushi did as well. For the millionth time in the past few days, she just wanted to quit. She just couldn't draw up enough strength to walk away from the world of shinobi. They trusted in her too much to give up now.

The door opened, and the small brunette woman strode by in silence. Hanami watched as her feet paused mid-step, and then slowly turned around and settled next to her. The woman crouched down and rested a smooth and cold hand on her head. The genin lifted her eyes to see the tentative smile of the medical professional.

"Are you his teammate?" The woman asked softly.

Hanami nodded her affirmation.

"He just woke up, so if you would like to see him you can go on in," the nurse offered.

"Okay," the girl responded blandly. It was why she was here, but she was no longer sure if she wanted to see Yurushi. Certainly not like this.

"He asked about you a lot the past couple of days," the nurse said sweetly. "He's been pretty worried, so I'm sure he'll be happy to see you."

There was no response. Why would she say anything to that? Yurushi always worried about something. He would be worried about Kenshi too, and that was why she didn't want to go to see him anymore. She didn't have the heart to tell him. How could she tell Yurushi that his best friend was dead? With any luck he already knew, but when did she ever have any luck about things like that.

"I'm sorry about your friend," the woman offered. Hanami brushed off the comment as discreetly as she could. Like so many others, the lady meant well and was likely genuine in her expressed sorrow. It didn't matter though. Saying sorry wouldn't bring Kenshi back. "If you need anything let me know."

Hanami nodded her head with a fake grin and waited for the woman to leave. There was no way she could face Yurushi, not like this. She had been so useless. How could any of them hoped to walk away from the monster they were fighting. There was no reason why any of them were still alive other than the whimsy of a mad man. Hanami didn't want to hear any more apologies about Kenshi's death. Not from anyone. Not from Yurushi. If she walked into that room, that's exactly what she'd get. The nurse walked away to go about her remaining duties and allowing Hanami to retreat back into her own thoughts.

As the minutes crawled by Hanami could only wonder. Was it possible to recover from something like this? What happened to them now? Even if they recovered and could return to active duty, what would they even be returning to? There wasn't a team anymore. Replacing Kenshi was impossible, and even if it were, there was no one that was worthy of filling his spot on the team.

"What are you doing here?" A familiar voice asked with a stern coldness. Hanami met his gaze. Green, piercing eyes, glaring at her with curious suspicion. His rugged features, scarred right cheek, and almost accusatory tone of voice made him appear quite menacing. Even standing in the hallway, the black-haired man was given a fairly wide berth. He wasn't particularly tall, and his lean muscular frame was not something that commanded immediate caution, but the aura that was radiating from him could be quite fearful.

"I told you I was visiting Yurushi today," she was used to it though. Her father was a serious man, and didn't engages in frivolity.

"And yet you sit on the floor rather than visiting your teammate," he didn't seem too thrilled at the idea. "You are wasting time that could be spent with your rehabilitation exercises."

Hanami remained silent. She didn't feel like getting into it with her father. Not now, and certainly not here. He may have been understanding about the situation as a whole, his patience was always worn thin in regards to lies. Her father sighed slightly before doing something rather unexpected. He sat down next to her on the cold tile.

"We all feel weak when the unexpected happens," He began. "If Yurushi is the kind of person you claim he is, then he feels no different than you."

Hanami scoffed at the idea. Yurushi was far from useless or weak. Something Yurushi told her not long ago sprung to her mind with sudden force. _If you think that I'm not afraid when you guys are in trouble then you're kidding yourself_. He said that during the exams, and was the only time she could think of when the prodigious shinobi even hinted to feeling weak.

"I like speaking of this, but it is something you need to know," as her father continued to speak she could almost hear the pain in his words. "A month before the war, not long after I first became a chūnin I was given command of a squad for a mission. Tensions were high between Konoha and Iwagakure. The mission was delivering a message to a team of Kumogakure ninja meant for the Raikage. We were to rendezvous in a town east of Shimogakure. My best friend from the Academy was selected to be on the squad, and our familiarity with one another made me feel confident about the mission as a whole."

"We made good time and stopped at a small village just past the southern border of Shimo no Kuni," he continued. Hanami spared a glance in her father's direction. It wasn't often that he talked about his career so openly, so she was quite eager to hear the story. "During our stay, we spent time gathering intelligence. One of my squad mates found something suggesting that a group of foreigners had been looking for a team of Konoha ninja. We debated about how to handle the situation. Two wanted to deviate from their planned route and take a path that led them up north. My friend and I disagreed. The path would have made us late to the drop off point, and the message was supposed to be critical."

"We carried on with the original plan, and we were ambushed when we tried to set up camp that night," Hanami almost hear the pain in his voice as he recalled the events. "My friend was on first watch. The only warning we had was when his body splashed into the lake nearby our campsite."

"We completed the mission," he continued. "But at the cost of my friend's life. I made a command decision based on my own arrogance and overconfidence. It was a choice I have had to explain to his family and friends, and something I've had to live with."

"Does it ever go away?" Hanami wondered. "The pain, does it ever leave?"

"No," he answered quietly. "It never really goes away. Although, when the war broke out I was forced to keep moving forward. Eventually the guilt I felt, it gave way and I was able to put it behind me, and I became stronger for it."

Hanami wasn't so sure she would ever get to the point where Kenshi's death wasn't hanging over her. Nothing would ever be the same. Without him, a part of her seemed lost, and the rest of her was searching for what had been taken away. It seemed like it was a void that couldn't be filled, now or ever.

"The key is to keep moving forward," her father's gaze fell on her, but the sternness in his eyes had melted away leaving nothing but true concern. "Keep pushing forward one step at a time. Your first step is walking through that door."

Looking at the entrance to Yurushi's room her heart trembled. Hanami didn't know if she could face Yurushi right now. She didn't want to be the one to tell him what happened, or rather that she didn't know how Kenshi died. Still, she forced herself to stand. Slowly, inch by miserable inch, she crossed the length of the hallway and grasped the door knob. With a deep breath she twisted it and prayed that above anything else, Yurushi wouldn't hate her for her weakness.

The door opening quickly caught Yurushi's attention. His dull blue eyes went wide as he caught sight of her. "Ha-Hanami, I, I," He stuttered. It was an odd thing to see the Uzumaki prodigy stumbling over his words. He looked as lost as she felt. He already knew what had happened. She walked forward and allowed the door to close behind her.

Her eyes welled up as she could see the redhead choking back his own tears. "Hanami, I'm so sorry. I wasn't strong enough. I should have been there. I should have been able to do something. I was so useless," he sobbed. "I don't even know how it happened. I don't even know why he died."

Her tears joined his as she stood at his bedside. Standing in utter silence, unsure what she could say, or if she could even make a sound. Her heart resonated with his grief, and the sadness that she had felt in the days past was bleeding out. For the first time in the years that she had known him, Hanami felt truly comfortable in her teammate's presence. For the first time, she felt comfortable in her weakness. Gently, she hugged her teammate as he continued to work out his pain with words.

"I'm sorry Hanami. I'm so sorry. It's my fault. It's all my fault," the Uzumaki repeated through his hidden tears. If there was a way forward. If there was a way to work through this, Hanami realized that it would be done the only way Team Thirteen had done anything; it would be done together.

* * *

Silence. Unyielding silence. It ruled the room as he lay there staring at a blank page. He had tried to occupy himself but it would only work for so long. Picking up the brush he dipped the fraying tip into the inkwell. Strokes were frantic and hurried. His thoughts controlled his hand as they were transferred from brush to page as the river of ink spread. It flooded the parchment as the tributaries and branches dominated the once white landscape. What was once a poem devolved into something else.

_Stained hands still shaking_

_It's all my fault. I wasn't there and now he's dead_

What was once crisply drawn characters degraded into incoherent scribbles until the ink on the brush bled dry. Shouting in frustration, Yurushi threw all of his writing supplies off of the bedside tray table. The inkwell shattered on the ground, and the splatter was largely covered up by the unraveled scroll. Giving up, he tried to sink his head beneath his pillow, but it wouldn't go through the admittedly comfortable fabric. Closing his eyes he tried to shut out everything around him.

He couldn't write. He couldn't think. He couldn't eat. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't do anything without Kenshi coming to the forefront, and the redhead didn't know how to handle it. Sitting in this room, with bleached walls, irregular beeping from medical devices, bland tasting food, and absolutely no view from the window was taking its toll. The only reprieve from the dull days and slow hours were the brief moments when someone dropped in to visit.

The door opened as an elderly woman walked in. She had greying hair, wrinkles near the eyes, and a scornful gaze told him that she wasn't fond of the mess on the floor. "Here's your lunch and you need to eat it," she ordered calmly as she set down the tray of indescribable food. "Your body isn't adjusted to being denied access to chakra, and you need to keep your strength up if you want to be released."

"The funeral is tomorrow," he noted solemnly.

"Then get rest, and we'll decide if you're fit enough tomorrow morning," she answered unconcerned. Yurushi was holding in his wrath against the nurses. They were only doing their job and following orders, but if they think for one second they could keep him from attending Kenshi's funeral they were sorely mistaken. "And stop making a mess of things."

He took a few bites of the barely edible green stuff to satisfy the woman and halfheartedly smiled for her. She left, no doubt unconvinced of his performance. Alone once more, Yurushi prodded at the tray of _food_ in moderate disgust. There was no taste to any of it. Food of any kind should have some sort of flavor, even if it tasted bad.

Yurushi sighed deeply. He figured that he should count himself lucky to be alive. The sling his left arm had limited the majority of its movement. Fortunately, nothing was broken. No, nothing was broken. Fractured? Yes, Yurushi had a few of those. Minor tears, strains, bruises, and a collection of other injuries adorned his body. He felt all sorts of pains when he tried to move, but no matter how still he lie he still felt hollow. His best friend was dead; nobody knew how and no one could tell him why.

The door flew open and an orange blur rushed in, and he was quickly followed by the aging nurse. "You can't just barge in there young man!" She yelled as she stormed into the room.

"He's fine," Yurushi assuaged her.

"Yeah!" Naruto repeated. "I'm fine, so I can stay."

The woman rolled her eyes. Before leaving, she glared and pointed at the plate of food that had gone untouched for several minutes now. Yurushi took another bite as she left again, and snarled once she was out of sight. Naruto stuck his tongue out at the nurse.

"Ya feelin' any better?" The blue eyes of his cousin looked hopeful. The only answer Yurushi gave was the lifting of his left arm, which he had forgotten about why it was in a sling in the first place. It hurt to move, and he winced as he tried to will the pain to go away.

"Well hurry up!" Naruto complained. "I could _really_ use your help in training for the finals. Kakashi-sensei pawned me off on that closet perv until the person he wanted to train me could come to town."

"Ebisu is supposed to be an excellent teacher," Yurushi was curious. "What does he have you doing?"

"Ughh, chakra control!" The blond groaned. "I hate that stuff! It's so hard, when am I going to need to stand on water anyway? I already know how to swim."

"There is always benefit to being able to control your chakra. The better you are with it, the easier it will be to learn a jutsu," the redhead explained.

"Naruto!" A pink haired girl shouted as moderately as possible. She seemed to be conscious of the fact that the staff didn't like guests to be loud. "You can't just run off like that! You're in a hospital, you have to be respectful."

"Aww come on Sakura, it's not that big of a deal," Naruto whined pitifully. From what the elder Uzumaki had seen, the pink haired kunoichi didn't have much tolerance for Naruto's wild antics. Yurushi never bothered to rein him in too much; he only helped to establish some much needed structure.

"Um, how are you feeling Yurushi?" Hanami's voice cut between the two who were beginning to bicker. He hadn't even seen her enter.

"Better," he answered. He still felt far from normal, especially with the chakra suppression tags attached. Apparently they had to remain until a more permanent solution could be drawn up. Studying the tags didn't provide much entertainment either. He could understand some of the characters and patterns, but most of them were a mystery. What he could decipher revealed that they didn't want him to be able to mold chakra at all.

"That's good," the snowy haired girl responded quietly. They never talked about her first visit. They didn't need to. Their friend and teammate was gone. The moment was a mutual expression of grief, and whatever issues still lingered could only be resolved as individuals. "Will you be there tomorrow?"

"Yes," Yurushi returned. In spite of what the nurses may have said he would be there. Nothing would stop him. "I will be there."

"Okay," the girl said meekly while trying her best to ignore the ever escalating argument that was going on in the background.

"Hey, um, Yurushi," Sakura spoke up as though finally remembering something. "I had a few questions I was wanting to ask you. I mean, if you don't mind."

He shook his head, open to the inquisition. The emerald eyed teen flitted to Hanami nervously before she whispered something to her teammate. Naruto nodded and offered his goodbyes and asked if Hanami wanted to check in on one of his former classmates that had been admitted as a result of the preliminary round. Soon only the pink haired kunoichi remained. This girl. There was something about her. The look in her eyes was serious, and there was no doubt in Yurushi's mind that she knew something.

"I wanted to ask you a few questions about the fight you got in, but if it's too sensitive right now I understand," Sakura started. Yurushi waited to hear what she had to say. There was recognition in those emerald gems, and she seemed determined to know something.

"Why did Orochimaru fight you?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know," he replied quickly. How did she even know about the fight with Orochimaru? He hadn't mentioned it to Naruto, but it was possible that Hanami had said something.

"He said nothing at all? He just targeted you and your team for no reason?" Her tone of voice seemed unassuming, but the look in her face was suspicious.

"What are you getting at Sakura?" Yurushi half accused. He wasn't going to be pestered by some girl playing games or withholding information. "Just what are you really asking me?"

"That mark on your arm," she pointed in response. Yurushi looked at it for a second, reflexively covering it up as best he could. "He gave it to you, didn't he?"

"What of it?" The redhead narrowed his gaze.

"Why does he want you?" Sakura's face mirrored his own as her features honed in waiting for an answer.

"What makes you think he wants me? What do you know about this?" Yurushi asked. This girl knew something, she had to. There was no way that Sakura would be asking questions like this if she didn't know something was up.

"This isn't about me," The pinkette retorted. "This is about you. Why does Orochimaru want you?"

"Why are you so concerned?" Yurushi deflected. There was no reason to respond without something in return. As the days had passed since his return to consciousness, the redhead could remember his short conversation with the traitorous ninja. He could remember what that snake said about the seal. He hadn't reported it to anyone yet. He wasn't sure what to tell Hanami or Naruto, and Sensei hadn't since he first woke up.

"Because, well, uh," the girl stumbled before huffing in frustration. "Because I am! That's why, alright!"

Stubbornness and aggravation filled the room. For the longest time they remained in a tense silence. Neither was willing to look at the other, and Yurushi would be damned before he admitted anything to the nosy kunoichi. If she wanted answers from him, she needed to present a reason for him to trust her with those answers. A long, resigned sigh escaped the innocuous girl beside him.

"Look, I'm sorry," Sakura offered. "I'm just really worried. Sasuke-kun has a mark similar to that one. Ever since he got it he has been acting differently, like he's not himself sometimes. Right before he left, Orochimaru said that Sasuke would seek him out, looking for power."

"And you're worried that he'll do it," Yurushi finished. The girl nodded in response. He could understand the fear. They were attacked, nearly killed, and now Team Seven could lose a valued teammate and friend. Breathing out his reservations, Yurushi relented. "Orochimaru told me that this mark was the cost of getting the answers I'm looking for."

"What answers are you looking for?" Green eyes queried.

"He knows what happened to my mother," he answered solemnly. Yurushi didn't know what to feel about this. He wanted nothing more than to rend the Sannin's head from his shoulders, but if Orochimaru did know something then it was worth the risk. Wasn't it? "He may even know what happened to the rest of my clan. Maybe even something about Naruto's parents."

"And you really want to know don't you?" The girl asked, seemingly on the edge of tears.

"I do," he confirmed. A similar enticement was likely offered to Sasuke. Whatever it was the last of the Uchiha had been chasing, Orochimaru was offering to give it to him. There was a price to pay, that much was certain, but the offer was an intriguing one. His was. To think, the answers he had been scrounging the village for were hanging off the outstretched fingers of Orochimaru. All he had to do was reach out and take them. The idea was rejected violently. That animal had killed his best friend. Even if the killing blow didn't come from the Sannin, Yurushi held the man personally responsible. Orochimaru would die. He had to die.

"Thank you," Sakura said quietly. "Thank you for your honesty. I'll let you get some rest."

"Keep an eye on him Sakura," Yurushi requested as the girl opened the door. "Naruto may not show it, but I'm sure that he is just as worried about all of this as you are."

"I'll do my best," the kunoichi agreed as she left. They didn't know much about each other, but Naruto was their common bond. Yurushi chuckled at that. The blond was probably the common bond for all sorts of unlikely companions. It was part of who he was. The kid never knew a stranger. If Yurushi had to bet, his cousin would have few enemies that didn't eventually become friends.

* * *

"The leaves shall wither and die in their season, and this too is the fate of all men," The Hokage's words were well rehearsed. He had likely said them a thousand times over. "But even in death, the leaves of the great tree provide sustenance to the roots, and thus they pave the way for the next generation to carry on."

The coffin was set; ready for the body to be commended to the earth. He hadn't thought he wanted it, but he was glad the casket was closed. After paying his respects, Hanami crying into his shoulder the whole time, Yurushi didn't think he could bear to look at the lifeless body. Kenshi wasn't supposed to die. Not now. Not like this.

"It is our sacred duty to remember the life that Muramasa Kenshi lived. With fondness we remember his enduring smile and his fierce determination. But we dare not stop there. We must carry on the torch that he passed down to us. We must carry on. We must live by his example; in doing so we honor his name and advance his Will of Fire."

Slowly, four men lifted and lowered the box into Kenshi's resting place. Each was shorter than the average man of Konoha, standing well shy of two meters tall. Each of them, however, was broad shouldered with thick, sinewy arms. The eldest was greying at the temples. His face was stone. The younger ones were near copies of the older man, but with all the image of youth and vigor. One had longer, shaggy looking hair. Another had a face full of stubble, while the last seemed to be hewn straight from rock. Kenshi, with his wiry frame, seemed to be the black sheep of the family.

He met with the surviving members of the Muramasa clan, and Yurushi began to understand how Kenshi had gained such a happy go lucky personality. For as fearsome as the man appeared, Muramasa Tetsu was quite jovial. The elder of the clan and perhaps its last full-blooded member, Kenshi's father was a master of his craft. His shop in Konohagakure was responsible for a large number of orders for weapons, armor, tools, and a variety of metals that needed crafting. Though obviously saddened by his son's passing, he took the news better than Yurushi had.

The Uzumaki's offer of apology for failing to protect his son was rejected with a warm smile, a pat on the back, and an explanation at how Tetsu was proud that his son was able to defend the people he cared for so deeply. It was a hollow moment. Tetsu did nothing to release him of the guilt that Yurushi was lost in. He was, however, able to provide some sort of solace to the family. This helped to put Kenshi's eldest brother at ease. Even though the rest of the family was far removed from the shinobi life, they held many of the old ways of their clan.

The Muramasa clan had several traditions revolving around their heritage as proud warriors. Some, such as painting their faces with the blood of slain enemies, seemed rather gruesome and demented. Another was to have the body of a fallen shinobi buried with the weapon they last wielded in battle. This was so that they could carry on their fight into the next life. Though he had not been awake to see it, Yurushi knew that his friend had used his wakizashi. Inspecting the blade revealed several knicks, scratches, and imperfections that were not there before. He would have thought them to have been the result of his fight with Orochimaru, but there was hardly a moment where they had crossed blades of at all.

Even if it wasn't the case, Kenshi's weapon had been destroyed. The Muramasa clan did not repair their blades. _If our swords are ever broken, then they were not fit to wield in the first place,_ Tetsu had said. Though Kenshi's ninjatō was not a product of inferior quality or craftsmanship, it was improper for him to be buried without any blade at all. As his teammate, Yurushi took it as his duty to offer his own sword to be at Kenshi's side in the hereafter. Their job now done, four men took their spot next to Kenshi's mother and Tetsu gave him a knowing glance with a nod of approval.

"Although we mourn the passing of young Kenshi we must never forget what he fought for. His desire to be Hokage was born of a desire to protect the things he loved most. His sacrifice was made to save his friends, and it will be forever remembered. We return his body to the earth so his spirit may give strength and life to the great tree of Konohagkure no Sato. Pray now for Kenshi," the Hokage said.

Bowing his head, Yurushi closed his eyes and tried to offer intercession for the spirit of his best friend. His thoughts were consumed with other things. The laughter of the man that was disguised as his teammate echoed in his mind. The gleeful smile the traitor wore as they fought among the trees. Yurushi could feel his face contort as thoughts of Orochimaru danced in his head.

Hanami gripped his right arm tightly. She was having a hard time accepting this as being real. She wasn't alone in that, but he wouldn't ignore the truth of the matter. The girl wanted some sort of direction or understanding as what would happen now. How life could move forward without Kenshi, but he had no idea. Sensei had been strangely absent the past few days, but he had assured them that he was drawing close to the end of his investigations.

The moment of silence passed as a line was formed. Standing directly behind the Hokage, Yurushi watched as the elderly leader showed the precedent for the ritual. Yurushi had never been to a funeral before, and Katsushiro-sensei had said that each village had their own traditions. The wizened man bowed deeply to the survivors of the Muramasa clan before grabbing a fistful of dirt. Holding his closed hand aloft, he let the soil fall into the open grave.

Yurushi and Hanami followed suit. The redhead paid his sincerest respects to the family of his best friend. Kenshi's mother and father thanked him for coming. Two of the older siblings remained mostly silent, nodding their appreciation. One clasped his hand onto Yurushi's shoulder, and grey eyes were leveled at the man. It was the one with the stubble all over his face and he leaned in close, "When this is over I have something I need to show you," he whispered. Yurushi nodded in agreement and continued wordlessly.

Bending down, the genin took a handful of earth. Side by side the two surviving members of Team Thirteen held their hands out. Hanami looked at him before letting the dirt slip between her fingers. Her sorrow was masked by the solemnness of the situation, but evident with the tears streaming down her cheeks. "I will never forget you Kenshi-kun," the girl intoned.

"I will never forget you Kenshi," Yurushi repeated. He didn't know what else to say. There was so much on his heart and mind about how unfair the world was, and how he couldn't stand to live with this injustice left unanswered. There were so many things, but none of them sounded right.

"The days to come will be difficult, but know that you have family all around you," The Hokage told them as the pair of teens walked by so the line could proceed. "If you ever forget who those people are, then just look for someone with a hitai-ate bearing the symbol of Konoha."

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Hanami answered quietly.

"There is strength in you yet my dear," the leader smiled warmly. "If either of you should need anything do not hesitate to drop by my office."

With a bow, Yurushi thanked the man and walked away. Hanami joined her family, and Yurushi waited patiently for Naruto to make it through the line with his team. He was curious to know what Kenshi's brother wanted to show him, but it could wait. Words flowed through his mind as a stream. Poetry hadn't come easy in the hospital, and there was only so much he could occupy himself during his stay. He still had to return after this was over, but at least he had something to write down when he got there.

_Sparks among ashes_

_Faintly do these fires burn_

_Shadows douse spirits_

* * *

Unwrapping the cloth was a moment of unbridled pride for Muramasa Takumi. The weapon was revealed sheathed in a metal casing. Tinted blue, the sheath glistened in the sunlight of the late afternoon like the open seas. The length was comparable to his katana, but Yurushi took note of the straight edge and the lack of a guard. The weapon was drawn and it looked beautiful. The craftsmanship was far beyond any weapon he had wielded up to this point.

"I call it Kasei," Takumi said as he held the chokutō aloft.

Yurushi quirked an eyebrow at the name, but made no remark. Without the gentle and iconic curve that his katana possessed, Iaidō would become incredibly difficult. The blade would take too long to draw to be effective. He had already pushed the boundaries of his traditional kenjutsu style when he had his wakizashi strapped to his back instead of at his waist. It was really more of a convenience than anything else. It left the weapon out of the way when not drawn.

"I made it for Kenshi. I was going to give it to him when he became a chūnin," the man stated, his voice distant. Sheathing the sword quickly he held it out in front of the young ninja. "I want you to have it now."

"I couldn't possibly-" Yurushi started.

"You will take it!" Takumi answered fiercely. "This weapon is special, and I made it for Kenshi, but I can't let it go unused. This is my masterpiece."

The redhead held his hand out to take the blade, but paused. Such an important weapon would be better served enshrining the memory of the one meant to hold it. In light of practicality, it wasn't even a good fit for him anyway. Before he could withdraw his hand, the sword was put into it.

"He was my little brother," the burly man sniffed slightly. "Even though you weren't our family Kenshi considered you to be a brother to him. It's only right that you take it."

Holding the metal scabbard in one hand, he studied the craftsmanship. The metal itself was blue which surprised him. The redhead had imagined that it was a chromatic paint, but the metal was colored somehow. Characters and patterns crawled up its length like ivy. They resembled fūinjutsu, but were not quite the same. The kanji forming the name of the blade was a prominent figure where the sheath seamlessly transitioned into the hilt. Yurushi wanted to draw it, but the sling around his arm was making that that difficult. Sliding his hand to the hilt, he pointed the hidden weapon back at its maker. "Do you mind?"

"Right, sorry," the man offered as he took hold of the sheath.

Drawing the blade, Yurushi noticed the balance was perfect. The single edge seemed sharp enough to cut him just by looking at it. There were several patterns and characters etched into the metal near where the tsuba would be. He wondered if their purpose was artistic or if it was greater.

"I was inspired by what my brother told me of the secret techniques of samurai, so I made this sword to mirror them," the pride in his voice was apparent. Takumi was an artisan, and it was obvious that he took great care in his work.

"How so?" Yurushi was trying to imagine how this sword could mirror anything like the Samurai Sabre Technique, but he couldn't think of any likely scenarios.

"Kenshi told me that the samurai have a technique that allows their chakra to form a coating around the blade, and the chakra can change the shape of their swords. I made a weapon that changes its nature to match its wielder," the elder Muramasa explained

"How can a sword change its nature?" The Uzumaki was more than intrigued. He figured the various designs carved into the metal were involved, but he wasn't sure.

"The markings on the blade and the scabbard are the key to that. The markings on the blade and scabbard are an old form of fūinjutsu that my clan developed generations ago. Swipe your blood on the seals and let you chakra flow through the blade. Just know that in doing this the sword will feed off your energies," he explained. He still didn't quite see how this mimicked the techniques of the samurai, but the redhead kept listening. "This will do two things. First, the sword will repair and sharpen itself."

"That would make maintenance pretty easy," Yurushi thought out loud as he wondered just how much damage could be repaired.

"The other effects I don't really know right now," the master craftsman admitted to the genin's confusion. "Once the sword becomes attuned to your chakra it will take on qualities reflective of your chakra and its nature. I have no way of knowing what that is, so you'll have to experiment with it. The process of making the sword attune to yourself will be a daily one, and you'll have to keep doing it so Kasei doesn't fall out of sync with you."

Adaptability. That was the similarity to the signature technique of the samurai. The ancient warrior class was able to form their chakra around their weapon to suit their needs and the situation. This weapon would eventually carry a level of adaptability that only he could make use of. It was an interesting take on the Chakra Sabre Jutsu, and certainly not something that Yurushi would have thought of constructing. As he studied the carvings on the blade he began to ponder the different ways the blade may adapt to him.

"You said this was fūinjutsu?" Yurushi pondered aloud as he fingered over the markings engraved into the metal. He had figured that Kenshi was the only member of his family that could successfully utilize chakra. Or at least that was what he had imagined from what his former teammate had said.

"I washed out of the training program," the man confessed knowingly while scratching at his growing beard. "I could never quite get the hang of putting all those hand seals in the right order, so I never graduated, but I figured out later that I could use much of what I learned to help me forge weapons."

"I see," The genin nodded in understanding while turning his attention to the sword. "What can you tell me about this style of fūinjutsu without revealing clan secrets?"

"That it's old," Takumi chuckled, "almost as old as the clan itself, and I know that it was used to forge some of our more famous weapons."

Grinning, the man offered to take the blade once more. Returning the weapon to its home, Yurushi marveled at the overall elegance of the piece. If it were not for the slight break in the metal, then it would be near impossible to tell where the sheath ended and the hilt began. Such meticulous work showed the smith's attention to detail and the level of care he took in his craft. Kenshi would have loved it.

"Kenshi always liked the straight blades, but I never knew if his tastes would change," Takumi's smile widened as he focused on the redhead. "I kind of hoped that one day he'd pick up your preference for the more traditional sword. After all, there is little else quite as elegant and classy as the katana."

Holding the sword aloft, Takumi offered the weapon to Yurushi once more, but this time as the new owner. The redhead gladly accepted, but the artisan did not immediately let go of the blade. "Hey," the man started with hesitance. "Promise me that you'll put it to good use alright."

"I will," Yurushi replied. With the sword in hand he felt as though some small part of Kenshi lived on. It was like the spirit of his best friend would always be there, to help him in the toughest of battles and the gravest of moments. In a small way, it felt like he and Kenshi would still be an extension of one another; just as a sword was to his arm. '_I swear to you Kenshi,_' Yurushi thought as he departed so he could begin the process of reshaping the weapon to his needs. '_I swear to you on this blade, I will kill Orochimaru_.'


	29. Moves In Passing

**Chapter 29: Moves In Passing**

"The pawn move is a capital investment. Every one of the forty-eight should, from the beginning, be spent as if it were one of the last forty-eight apprehensive and responsible dollars between yourself and starvation." - William Ewart Napier

* * *

The faint glow of the lamp was the only thing that allowed him to see, but he preferred to write in the dark, especially for things like this. His report was of the utmost importance both to himself, and the Hokage. What was needed was a careful use of language. It was the most difficult part of his job, and he hated it. It was the most restricting and the most tedious part of his job.

Although, he had to admit that the final touches of the report were lining up quite nicely. Judiciously he chose his words so as not to give anything away. There was a time for speaking openly about things, but that time had not come yet. All but done, the autopsy of Muramasa Kenshi would shed a great deal of light on several things. Most importantly, he had begun crafting anti-venom that could be used to counter the poison that Orochimaru had injected into the boy's bloodstream. It was nasty stuff really. Derived from the venom of sea snakes that could only be found in the reefs surrounding a few small islands in southern Mizu no Kuni, the poison was brilliantly crafted.

Signing his name to the cover page, he stood and stretched stiff muscles. He had to dumb himself down far too much to write reports for the village. It was necessary that non-medical professionals could easily understand all the technical findings. The Sandaime Hokage was not a dumb man. Quite the contrary, he was incredibly intelligent. It was his crafty mind and sharp senses that would catch on to things that were amiss. His retirement would come soon, but not soon enough.

The light flared harshly, and he squinted so he could adjust. A head was stuck through the door to the cramped office, but he knew that the person was focused on him. "Come on kid," the Chief Coroner said. She waived him to hurry up. "Hokage-sama is waiting."

"Oh, ah, yes of course," he answered shyly. "I was just finishing up. Give me a minute and I'll be right there."

"Just hurry," she ordered while closing the door. "You've done a good job to this point, but don't make me give you a bad review. We wouldn't want to tarnish what little reputation you still have."

"Sorry, I'll be right there," he replied as he frantically gathered his notes. There were dozens of files that he needed, but only a few were pertinent to this meeting. There would be others later that would be more in depth, and required more of a clinical touch. Grabbing the closest storage scroll, he sealed away everything he believed that the Hokage didn't need to see in the upcoming meeting.

Walking out the door he turned out the light, and locked up the office. There were several files that were slightly confidential, and it was necessary to keep it locked when not in use. Sprinting down the hall, he stopped suddenly as he remembered that he forgot the report that he had just finished. Racing back to the door he fumbled with the key before sliding it in. Turning the handle, pushing the door open, and flicking on the light should have come with less surprise.

"Oh," he was shocked. A shorter person, a boy he assumed, with an odd looking ANBU mask turned toward him quickly. The eyeholes were honed in on him, but there was no telling what those eyes were planning. The child elite was hunched over an open file cabinet digging through the section that would have housed his report. "Hello there."

No response. No surprise. All the masks of ANBU bled together into one nondescript animal group. Each was uniquely marked in one way or another. Some looked like cats, others had stubby snouts like bears, and some even had long beaks. Without knowing what discrepancies to look for, he didn't really see much difference between one black ops member and another. To see it on one so young was a bit of a surprise, but he shrugged it off. '_They really do start so early these days._'

Judging by the height and an estimated weight, the dark clad agent looked to be no older than Uchiha Sasuke and his age group. The training division of ANBU always pulled from the best and brightest that they could find. The Uchiha had probably been a potential candidate, but for being the last living Uchiha in the village Sasuke was too prominent a figure to qualify. Several ideal shinobi would be rejected from joining the ranks of ANBU for much the same reasons. The clans were the might of the village, and their presence needed to remain largely public.

He really didn't want to fight. Not now at least, and especially not against a member of ANBU, but if that's what it came to, then so be it. He'd wait and let the kid make the first move. The hairs on the back of his neck raised as each waited for the other to flinch. Nothing happened for several minutes, and the tension was still building. He really needed to deliver this report, and clearly this ninja was looking for something in particular. '_Judging from where he's looking, I'd say he's looking for all of my files on this case. Too bad._'

"Look," he eased into a conversation. Trying to appear harmless he showed his hands. "I'm just going to get this report and leave you to your thing, alright."

The agent grabbed at the hilt of his sword, but didn't draw. It was strapped to his back, and he had almost missed seeing it beneath the midnight cloak the boy was wearing. Trying to appear nonchalant about the matter, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The ninja twitched at the movement, but did nothing else. With confidence, he stepped over to the desk and grabbed the autopsy report and walked back to the door.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he said turning to look over his shoulder at the young elite. Now that his hands were on the prize, he wouldn't let it go. Victory was his, and there was no better time than the present to rub it in a little. "Tell Danzō that he really should be more patient. If he wants to know about Muramasa Kenshi's death, then he can wait for the official meeting just like everyone else."

In a flash the business end of the short sword rested against his neck. There had been nary a sound in the child's movements. A slight rustle of loose papers on the desk, and the cloth of his robes fluttered a bit at the sudden halt. Other than that there was no signal or sign the boy was moving. This kid was good. "For a doctor, you know far too much," the special agent said warningly.

"For a spy," he smiled at the threat. Kids were cute. "You know far too little."

"What makes you think I won't just kill you and deliver the reports to Danzō-sama?" The spy questioned digging the blade a little further into his neck. That rusty old cripple did a great job training his recruits, but his results left a lot to be desired from the early days. Then again, too much has changed since then to guarantee the highest quality agents.

"Would he really want you to make such a scene?" He acted shocked at the notion. It wasn't a bad idea, but the attempt at intimidation was nothing more than a bluff and they both knew it. "A doctor is found dead in front of his office, moments before he's supposed to report to the Hokage; how does that look?"

The sword was removed and sheathed. "I will be sure to tell Danzō-sama of you, Kabuto-san."

"Then I will be sure to tell Hokage-sama of you," Kabuto returned, adjusting his glasses once more "I wonder who would be more interested in this little exchange, hmm?"

"Well played," the gifted child answered. A burst of light and smoke shot from the ground around the mysterious ninja, and when it cleared the boy was gone.

That would buy some silence for the time being, but that old hawk would be onto him sooner or later. It was fun for a while, but he wouldn't need to hide in plain sight for too much longer. Soon, Orochimaru would make his move, and that was when the real games began. Walking down the hall he took a moment to school himself. He had a part to play. Yakushi Kabuto, genin of Konoha, and adopted son of a Captain in the Iryō Butai. He would play the role for as long as it was needed, and he would play it perfectly.

* * *

"Thank you Kabuto-san," the gruff voice addressed, heavy with the knowledge that he just gained. "You are dismissed."

"Hokage-sama," the boy replied with a bow at the waist before taking his leave.

The report was interesting to say the least. Hiruzen gained no new information that he hadn't already guessed at, but at least his suspicions were confirmed. Orochimaru had a hand in Kenshi's death. He was mildly surprised that Kabuto had begun work on an antidote for the toxin that his wayward pupil had crafted. It didn't seem possible for a genin to be that well versed in medical techniques, but he would have everything looked over by toxicologists and specialists.

"You aren't buying this innocent act are you Sarutobi?" The Hokage focused on the voice of his long-time rival. Shimura Danzō was every bit as crafty as he was dangerous. The only constant that made him a powerful ally was his love for Konoha was matched only by his wariness of conceivable threat.

"Of course not," Hiruzen replied releasing a puff of smoke from his lips. "Kabuto has been under suspicion since the day he surrendered his chance at the preliminary rounds. My ANBU have been watching him very closely."

"And what have they found?" The old man asked, one eye opened studying the Hokage's every action and expression with intense curiosity. Shimura Danzō had been severely injured during his many years of service. His injuries collected during his time as a shinobi included the loss of his right eye and the crippling of his right arm. Despite all of this he was not deterred from further service to the village, and continued to do everything he could to further the cause of Konoha. The agenda of Danzō, however, was not always in line with Hiruzen's and brought the two at odds with one another on a frequent basis. Sarutobi, though often stressed by his contemporary, did appreciate having a differing of opinions on occasion.

"Unfortunately they were unable to turn up anything of significance," the Hokage admitted. "There is another individual who is running an independent investigation into the matter, but even he has not found anything incriminating."

"What a sad state of affairs," the mocking criticism that Danzō said so casually was to be expected. The former head of ANBU often criticized how village affairs were run. Ever since the man had lost his bid to become Hokage he was left bitter, and disapproved of many changes that had been implemented to make Konoha better, as a whole, and not just for the shinobi. "How low has our village become if we cannot root out a single known spy in our ranks?"

"He's just a boy," Sarutobi puffed another drag with a sigh. "No matter how gifted he may be at his true job, he will slip up, and we will be there when he does."

"Indeed," Danzō rose and walked toward the office door to take his leave. The man turned before leaving, "I wonder though, Sarutobi, when we catch him in the act will it already be too late to stop Orochimaru's plans?"

Sarutobi didn't answer, and Danzō didn't wait for one. The question was pressing enough and the Hokage found himself sitting alone with those words weighing on his thoughts. Would it be too late? The honest answer was an admission of his darkest fears. There was a very real chance that it would be too late. It was possible that no one in the village could stop Orochimaru, and that the student that Sarutobi once prized and hailed as the future of Konoha would bring about its final days. All the Hokage could do was use what little time there was left to find the snake before he could strike.

* * *

The cool air did nothing but add to her shivering. After just beginning to adjust to the warm weather of Konohagakure, and spending five days in a murky forest, she was now holed up in an underground base waiting for what was likely to be a long and gruesome punishment. It was cold, musty, and wet. "Home sweet home," Kin sarcastically said to herself while trying to rub warmth into her arms.

Orochimaru-sama had made his presence known in the village of his birth, which meant that the plan was coming to an end soon. The curious thing about this whole endeavor had been something that Dosu mentioned after the preliminary rounds ended. Their mission, their entire purpose of going through the exams in the first place was to kill Uchiha Sasuke. When they finally engaged their target's team they were met with all manner of resistance. Then there was Sasuke himself. Dosu noted that he had the juinjutsu that Orochimaru only gives to his vessels.

The power of the Ten no Juin erupted out of the young Uchiha with the force of a tsunami. The speed and strength the guy possessed had been unreal. For mere moments he held each of their lives in the palm of his hand. With sinister ease Sasuke crippled Zaku, and made his skills all but worthless. Dosu, for the first time Kin had ever seen, was scared for their survival. That pink haired tramp had been the only thing that stopped the Uchiha from slaughtering them.

They had been played. Kin didn't know what to make of it. Orochimaru gave their target a power they were not prepared to overcome. He had undermined the mission that he had personally assigned to them. It made no sense under normal circumstances. It could only be labeled as a betrayal. Kin had experienced all sorts of betrayal in that forest from both her team and from her Sensei.

'_Serves him right,_' the black haired kunoichi thought as she recalled what Zaku had done to her. She had been under the control of that blond ditz, and her _teammate_ tried to blow her away with his jutsu. Now, Zaku's arms and his jutsu were taken from him. That bastard prided himself on those precious arms of his, and his pride was his downfall. Then there was Dosu. The mummy had approved of the measures Zaku had taken in the situation.

Clinching her teeth shut, she tried not to think about all that had happened. Orochimaru-sama had betrayed her. Her team was willing to kill her. Was there no one? Nobody that she could turn to, anyone that she could trust? No, no there wasn't. Orochimaru-sama had taught her that trust was a weakness, and she had made the mistake of trusting that man. '_Never again,_' she determined. '_I will never trust someone so blindly ever again!_'

The ideas of distrust and trust misplaced allowed her mind to wander onto something that she had set aside. The redheaded paragon that she had helped was still out there. Did he survive the seal? Was he still alive? If so, how did he feel about the death of his teammate? She could remember the unrestrained passion in his voice and the desperation in his movements when he threw himself on Zaku. His team trusted him to defend them, but could he trust them to do the same? Konoha had been weak if they were not able to see their approaching doom, but was their ability to trust others that much of a weakness?

The nearby door at the end of the lonely hallway opened, breaking her from her thoughts. The wrapped and covered form of Dosu stalked out. Walking with dejection in his steps, he cast his gaze on her. He fixed it there, and it was unwavering in its focus. His beady eye was locked in, glaring with well restrained fury. As deeply as he scorned her, Kin could tell that his anger was not aimed entirely at her. Doing her best not to shy away from his wrath until after he passed by, Kin knew that he was venting.

"Good luck," he said with derision as he approached. Not breaking step as he studied her, but eventually he turned his gaze. The pressure that his killing intent had created was lifted from her mind as the mummified genin continued down the darkened corridor. "It's your turn now."

'_Shit_,' Kin lamented. '_Well, if he's going to kill me then let's get it over with._'

Walking up to the door, Kin paused as she grasped the handle. She could already feel his power and had to calm herself with deep breaths until she felt like she could move. Orochimaru-sama was unlike anyone else she had ever met. He was cold, calculated, and dismissive of those that were unworthy. She had caught his interest, even if it was for just a passing moment, and he had taken great care in training her to be strong. Failure was never an option. How could this moment, despite the circumstances, be any different?

The slow creaking was nauseating. With tepid and tentative steps she approached the chair that her Sensei had been lounging in. One leg thrown over the chair's arm, and his fist supporting his head in a typical expression of boredom, the legendary ninja was waiting. His eyes floated all over the room for a brief moment before lazily resting on her. "Ah, Kin," he addressed. "I'm glad you're here."

Approaching the leader of her village on his temporary throne, Kin tried to swallow her fear. "Orochimaru-sama," Kin bowed deeply. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you know why I called you here?" He asked casually. The tone of voice made the issue seem minor, but it was a lie. He never wasted his time on her if it were not important, and this is no different.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," she stuttered slightly. She needed to try and stay as calm and collected as possible. Not an easy thing when standing in the presence of certain death.

"And what is it that we need to talk about?" The laid back questioning was unnerving, but Kin could rise to this test.

"We failed our mission to kill Uchiha Sasuke, and I failed to proceed to the finals," she answered honestly.

"So very smart," Orochimaru perked up a bit. "But that was not all that we need to discuss here, Kin-chan."

Quivering only a little at the way he said her name, Kin racked her brain trying to think of what else Orochimaru-sama could have been disappointed about. This was what she had hoped to avoid. She was in trouble for something, but didn't know exactly what it was. No way out now. The only option was to push through and hope that she could make it to the other side.

"Tell me," her master was sizing her up as a predator evaluates the worth of its prey. He was studying to see if the hunt and the kill would be worth the investment of activity. "Were you ordered to do something during the exams?"

There was no one that Orochimaru-sama had ordered her to kill except for that raven haired lunatic. The Uchiha had been their only target, and she couldn't think of any other orders that she had been given. Concentration was broken as the door opened. A man walked through. His bangs fell freely framing either side of his forehead, and the ashen colored hair nearly obscured his hitai-ate with the leaf of Konoha engraved in its center. The dim lights made his dark purple shirt and pants appear almost black. She had seen him before. He was in the first exam badmouthing Otogakure. If he was here now he was either a double agent or incredibly stupid.

"Oh, don't mind me," he said adjusting the way his glasses rested on his nose. The adjustment obscured his onyx eyes as a glare was created on the glass. "I'll wait for you to finish."

The little distraction didn't do anything to calm Kin's nerves, as she tried to calmly shift her focus back onto her master. The weight of their attention, both Orochimaru-sama and his spy, it was stifling. She tried to recall everything that she had been given in the mission parameters. Nothing really stood out. They were to pose as typical students, progress far enough in the exam to kill Uchiha Sasuke, and ensure that the examiners didn't grow too suspicious of them afterward. Dosu was given command during the mission, but there hadn't been anything else. Then it clicked.

"Dosu ordered me to kill a kunoichi from Konoha," she admitted.

"And did you?" Orochimaru-sama asked knowingly. The possible threat hung in the air as he waited for his answer. She was terrified of giving it.

"No," she breathed. "I didn't."

"Why did you ignore Dosu-kun's orders?" A serpent slithered its way from Orochimaru's chair toward her feet and began circling around her left leg. She was going to die for her insubordination. "Did I not put him in charge?"

"You did Orochimaru-sama," she said while silently praying that the snake would make things quick and clean. "I'm sorry, I failed you."

"I don't want apologies!" her master lashed out. In response to his wrath, the snake moved as lightning. It was wrapped around her upper body in a tightly constricted coil, and poised to strike at her neck. It held there, fangs barred. Kin knew her life was hanging by a thread, and her next words needed to be carefully chosen if there was any hope to continue living.

"I simply want your reasons." The calm tone in Orochimaru's voice returned, and it served only to unnerve her further.

"I didn't see any benefit to killing her," she strained out as the snake was slowly squeezing the life out of her body. Kin was barely holding onto whatever shred of courage she had left, and her voice was starting to show her fear. "I thought it could undo whatever plans you had for the red haired guy." As soon as the words left her mouth Kin knew he would take to that like a predator to a wounded animal. She was easy prey.

"Really now?" Her pale faced master was intrigued. When Orochimaur-sama was intrigued, it could either be really good or really bad. "Please, explain your reasoning Kin-chan. I'm so very curious as to why you would disobey Dosu."

"Well," she started as the snake began to move. Its fangs were no longer exposed, but it still hugged her body tightly. The leathery scales slid across the exposed skin of her arms, never once easing the pressure it applied. "I didn't know what offer you might have made him, but I tried to put myself in his situation."

"Continue," the word dripped off his tongue slowly. Each syllable was a warning, telling her that the answer had better be acceptable.

"Before the first exam I saw him, and he was pretty open about wanting to protect his friends. Since one of his squad members died I figured that he would consider coming after you for revenge. I don't know for sure, but I thought that killing the other one make him want to stay away from you altogether, or it might break him and then he'd be useless," Kin finished. That sounded reasonable to her.

There was no way on earth that she would ever admit the truth. Not to him. Not now, and not ever. The truth was that she couldn't bring herself to do the deed. The guy had defended his friends so fiercely. Half alive, and he fought with all the strength he could muster. Even when he was barely conscious the redhead was still trying to protect his friends. Such devotion; she couldn't ignore all of that. Even the pink haired worm had given her all to protect her friends. Konoha might have a world view that was too merciful and too weak, but it clearly had not translated into powerless shinobi.

"And?" Orochimaru-sama prompted expectantly. She wasn't too sure what else he was looking for, but she also had no clue if he had found it or not already.

"And I guess that if you really wanted her dead, then you would have killed her yourself when you fought her," Kin was reaching on that one. There were a number of reasons that Orochimaru-sama hadn't finished the fight, and one of them could be to test her. He was incredibly farsighted, and it was not beyond reason to think that he planned for her team to run into this team.

"Hmm," his eyes drifted elsewhere. "What do you think Kabuto?"

"I don't know Orochimaru-sama," the man behind her answered. She dare not shift her gaze. Not even to satisfy that paranoid feeling that the glasses wearing man was moving in for the kill. She wouldn't take her eyes off her Sensei. He was the greatest threat in the room. "That sounds like a good answer, but I wouldn't risk it. Betrayal always starts with the little things. She's ignoring orders now, but who knows what she'd be doing in a month."

"True," the Sannin eyed her dangerously. Slowly, he licked his lips in what could only be anticipation. A swift and sudden flick of his hand caused her to wince, waiting for the impact of whatever would be her doom. All that she felt was a release of pressure, and the scaly underbelly of the snake coiling back down her leg. "You are dismissed Kin-chan."

Entirely shocked she stood unsure what to do. As her mind processed what was said, she bowed deeply. She wasn't sure how, but she had survived this time. Failure was not tolerated, and the punishment was death. How she managed to avoid the fate of countless other fools was beyond her, but she wasn't above being grateful for it.

"Don't disappoint me again," her master added.

"Yes Orochimaru-sama," she was never going to fail him again. Mercy was a weakness, and she knew whatever it was that kept her master from killing her was not mercy. It was a calculated move. He had seen a use for her and upon a whim he let her live. Standing, she turned and walked toward the door. Each step was drowned out by the sound of her heart beating. Somehow, someway, she was still useful to Orochimaru-sama. She was going to be certain that she never gave him a reason to think otherwise.

"Run along and be a good girl now," Kabuto teased while adjusting his glasses. Before today, Kin had never known this person to be a big player in Otogakure. The way that Orochimaru-sama deferred to him was telling. Kabuto, whoever he was, was more important than he first appeared to be. In Otogakure, importance to Orochimaru-sama was equivalent to individual power. Kin was going to be sure not to cross him either.

Closing the door and being out of sight of her master left her with great relief. She felt exhausted now. Never before had minutes of conversation been so taxing. She couldn't take a break however. She needed to train. Walking to her room to gather supplies, Kin made a note of what she was going to work on. There was a month to prepare for the next phase of the plan, and she was going to impress Sensei.

Genjutsu had been her focus for the past year. The art was complex, and incredibly nuanced. Casting an illusion of any variety required the caster to implant some of their own chakra into the victim. It had to travel and flow in such a way that it was in sync with the target so as to draw less suspicion. The goal was to warp a person's senses to make them incapable of adequately fighting, defending, or resisting.

Achieving that goal also meant that she had to invade the target through their sensory perception in some way. Visual genjutsu required the caster to know exactly what their target was seeing in order for their technique to take hold. For this reason, eye contact was the easiest method. Taking over the olfactory sense required strong smelling objects of the caster's choosing to be dispersed among their targets. Touch required physical contact. It could be the most subtle method, but was by far the most difficult to achieve. Taste, could be enacted simply by knowing the particular flavors and reactions to whatever was landing on the tongue of the victim.

Kin grinned as she scanned the darkness of the hallway leading toward her room. Orochimaru loved the darkness. Dim lighting made visual genjutsu more difficult for those who were not skilled enough to use anything but eye contact. There was just enough light to see shapes, patterns and textures, but it was not so dark where only a great void would be seen. Visual based genjutsu would be impossible if you couldn't be certain what your opponent's vision was fixed on. She didn't need anything like that for her genjutsu to work.

Her genjutsu had an audio component. It was difficult to control at first, but once she had gotten the hang of matching her genjutsu to a particular frequency it was a breeze. Hearing was a passive sense. You couldn't stop your body from hearing noises, even if it is barely within the range of audible sound. The only defense was canceling the noise, obstruction, or deafness. There were so many things she could do with her genjutsu, but Kin had a few methods for getting the job done.

Approaching her door, Kin decided to try something new. She had been utilizing bells on her senbon to be her catch. What she needed to do was figure out the frequencies generated when her senbon struck other surfaces. What kinds of sounds were generated when the needles struck concrete, dirt, wood, flesh, or bone? If she could figure out the frequency of those sounds, then she could initiate her genjutsu in a greater number of ways.

Opening the door to her room she noticed a figure lying on her bed. Flicking the light on, she noticed the glint of a kunai headed for her and quickly ducked her head out of the way. Glaring at the perpetrator Dosu met the gaze with equal heat. '_What does he want?_' She wondered as she tensed up, ready to fight.

"You dodged death this time," he said as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Head cocked to the side, hunched over, and arms hanging limply between the sprawled out knees, Dosu looked a bit like a doll on a shelf. A very creepy doll with its face completely wrapped leaving one eye exposed. "But sooner or later he will kill you."

"What are you talking about?" Kin fired off her question demanding an answer. She wasn't in the mood to take any of his crap.

"Orochimaru won't always spare you," her partner answered as he stood. "The moment you stop being useful to him, he'll kill you. If it helps advance his own agenda, he'll kill you. You are nothing to him. You never were, and you never will be."

"You broke into my room to tell me that?" Kin criticized. It was absurd. She knew what she was to Orochimaru. It was hard not to see it anymore. The way she stood there, being sized up and evaluated, it was less like he was measuring her worth and more like he was studying her weakness. Even so, where else could she go? She was in too deep now and there was no way Orochimaru-sama would simply let her leave. No, she was stuck here until such a time arose when she could escape.

"It just was a friendly warning," Dosu added casually. "Where is Zaku?"

"Like I care where that two timing shit is," she huffed. She really didn't care. Zaku could be dead in a ditch somewhere and she'd be more concerned with getting sweaty while training.

"That's what he's counting on," the mummy added. Hunched over as he walked toward the door to the small room, Dosu eyed her quizzically. "He knows you hate Zaku, and he knows that I don't care. You would never ask about him, and I would assume he was in a hospital. But he's not. He was sacrificed to advance Orochimaru's little scheme."

"I don't understand what you're getting at," she moved out of the door way so the genin could pass. He chuckled at her statement.

"I didn't expect you to," Dosu grunted. "Just watch your back, because I won't be there to warn you when Orochimaru comes to put the knife in it."

"Whatever," Kin took the warning with a grain of salt. Dosu never was one to watch her back, but here he was trying to warn her about something. It was kind of curious, and she wondered what he was up to. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere special," he ignored her derisive tone. "I'm just going to prove that I am not his pawn anymore."

She shrugged as Dosu left. Kin knew where she stood in the pecking order. It was interesting to see someone as loyal as Dosu have such a radical change of heart. She had work to do, and it didn't involve messing around with whatever her teammate had planned. If he wanted to get himself killed, then that was his business. She, on the other hand, wanted to live. She paused when she considered the words of her oddly wrapped contemporary. '_How much longer will I live serving someone like Orochimaru?_' Kin wondered as she stood alone with her thoughts and the warning Dosu had left her, still ringing in her ears.

* * *

"What was it that you had for me Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked. He had been patient. Though he wanted to study the corpse in person, his run in with Anko-chan wouldn't allow him to act too openly until the time was right. For now, he had to wait. He was plenty patient, but was growing tired of waiting any further. He needed a distraction to help pass the time.

"I finished the reports that you asked me to compile Orochimaru-sama," the man answered.

"Excellent," he replied taking several files. Kabuto had by far been his most valuable acquisition when he set out to create Otogakure. Honestly, he hadn't been planning on creating an entire village, but the further he progressed the more clearly his realization became. He needed the strength of a village to achieve his goals. Orochimaru knew that his plan stepped on the toes of the entire shinobi system, and they wouldn't take it lightly. The only way to fight against the world of shinobi was with the power of a shinobi village.

Eyeing the small library of files he noticed several interesting features that Kabuto had highlighted while performing the autopsy. "How much of this did you reveal to the Hokage and the council?"

"Not too much," the man grinned in pride. "I noted the several injuries and focused on the poison that you used. I gave them as a thorough toxicology report that would be expected of a genin, and I began working on an antidote for the poison. I'd estimate once the toxicologists and pathologists fix all of my _rookie mistakes_ they'll have it completed in about four months. Well, four months after the little distraction we're about to give them."

"I see," the snake frowned. This particular compound was masterfully created, and perfect for all manner of assassinations. The symptoms were mild if noticeable at all, and only became fatal days after it took hold. He could slip it into a drink or prick someone with a coated needle, and then be long gone by the time the target was dead. He had chosen the cocktail of compounds carefully, and without that knowledge a cure would be impossible to create. It was a fair trade, but only if his suspicions about the late child proved true.

"Did you do research on the clan's history like I asked?" He questioned.

"I did. What would you like to know?" The spy returned question for question, and Orochimaru wasn't sure where to start. There was so much information to take in, and it all led to several delicious possibilities.

"Let's start with medical records," Orochimaru needed to see if the abnormalities that were mentioned were just abnormalities or if they were inherited trends.

"From what I found there were only a handful of consistencies," Kabuto spoke up and adjusted his glasses. The child had been a natural spy, and a medical genius. It was his intelligence, quick wits, and sharp instincts that made him so deadly. Kabuto always was someone to be wary of, no matter how loyal. "The most noticeable is the enlarged adrenal gland. The clan as a whole possessed a highly advanced adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex, and the entire adrenal system grew in complexity with each generation. So it shouldn't be too much of a surprise that I found each member of the Muramasa clan had at least twice the normal levels of epinephrine in the blood stream."

"How interesting," Orochimaru mused. That was a thought-provoking explanation for the boy's power. It was far from perfect though. The child had definitely been utilizing the Hachimon, and there was no doubt in Orochimaru's mind about that. It was a simple fact. A massive adrenaline rush like Kabuto's reports were detailing was certainly a way to duplicate the effects, but only at the lowest levels. It would never be as powerful as the actual technique.

"There weren't any instances of clan members being shinobi in the village so the sample size I had to work with was less than ideal," the ashen haired man explained. Ever the perfectionist Kabuto was. It was the reason Orochimaru delegated so much of his more important research to the boy. He was meticulous in his craft. Some things required a personal touch, but research could almost always be left in Kabuto's well studied hands.

"That's quite alright," it wasn't surprising. He had never known the Muramasa clan to make anything other than weapons. The fact that this particular one had been a shinobi caught his ever fleeting attention.

"Well," Kabuto adjusted his glasses again. It was a habitual action, and it was normally taken right when he was about to outdo himself or others. So often, people wrote something like that off as superfluous. The little things always matter. "I cross referenced the data against records from your personal archive and I found a wealth of information."

"The Muramasa clan was not originally from Hi no Kuni," the boy continued. It was as he had imagined. The clan had a long history as a shinobi clan, but the number of ninja they produced had all but diminished. Their history as warriors existed beyond Konohagakure and before the time of hidden villages. "They originally come from Mizu no Kuni. It was during their Unification War that the clan was nearly destroyed. As I'm sure you already know, the foundation of Kirigakure took a bit longer than the rest of the major hidden villages."

"Indeed," Orochimaru interjected. The natural geography had long established a certain amount of autonomy to the various archipelagos and isles off the main land. Freedom of any kind isn't often relinquished willingly. "Bringing all of those islands and various clans into submission would take quite a bit of time."

"Correct, and when the Hōzuki and Yuki clans were conquering as much land as they could in their struggle for dominance, the Muramasa clan revolted against the idea for a unified shinobi village," Kabuto's smirk was growing as he told the story his research had uncovered. Orochimaru had known the general history of Kirigakure. The constant bloodshed the nation experienced created a multifaceted history where every major player had their own version of the same story. Often, the smaller clans are overlooked.

"At this particular point in history, the Muramasa clan were primarily blacksmiths and weapon makers. The leadership of the clan didn't want to limit themselves to only one client when most of the demand for their craft came from the various clans wanting to kill each other. So, the few shinobi they had left began to battle against the Yuki clan," Orochimaru had done extensive research on the Yuki clan. Their kekkei genkai was one of the more deadly abilities in the shinobi world. He had long tried to replicate the skill through genetic splicing, but all of those test subjects had proven failures. He had imagined that there weren't any descendants of the Yuki clan still living, but scientific progression is never a fruitless venture. Much was learned, and much more gained.

"Eventually," the spectacles glinted in the dim light of the room. "The Muramasa clan pushed their foes to the breaking point. The Yuki clan was so overwhelmed in their efforts to invade Muramasa lands that they turned to the Kaguya clan in desperation. The rest, as they say, is history."

History being that the Kaguya nearly decimated both their target and their employers. So bloodthirsty were the Kaguya, that further concessions had to be made by the Yuki in order for the clan to even survive. More deals were struck, the Hōzuki clan intervened for the small price of the Yuki's clan's submission to the newly formed Kirigakure and exclusive rights to elect the Shodai Mizukage into office. When all was finished Mizu no Kuni was unified and on their way to becoming a world power, but the Muramasa clan was no longer a viable threat in the world of shinobi.

"Did the Yuki clan have any accounts of battle against Muramasa shinobi?" He asked golden eyes piercing the mysteries laid out before him.

"Few," Kabuto grimaced. "There was one in particular that sounded similar to what you described. It was regarding the head of the Muramasa clan. He carried a large blade with a hole cut out near the tip, and a crescent shape carved out on the edge of the sword close to the hilt. The writer had thought the blade was destroyed by a technique used by one of his clan mates, but the sword was regenerated as it _drank the blood of the Yuki_."

"Kubikiribōchō," Orochimaru deduced.

"Right," Kabuto had figured that out as well. The sword must have been made by the clan, and was likely carried as a mark of succession. "The man who wielded it was noted as fighting _not like a man, but like a rabid beast_. Also, _injury and pain did not stop him_ and the writer noted that _the closer he came to death the more he destroyed until his light burned out and he became as ash._"

"What do you suppose this means Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked, already feeling confident about the truth of Kenshi's power.

"Well, from all the data I collected, this written record, and your firsthand account I would be inclined to believe that the Muramasa clan had a very rare kekkei genkai that only a handful of their members ever possessed," Kabuto reasoned.

"And what is the nature of their power?" The Sannin hissed inquisitively.

"My theory is that their adrenaline is so potent that when it surges to certain levels it begins to force the Haichimon to open," the young medic proposed. It was the only theory that Orochimaru was leaning toward after seeing the extensive autopsy that his greatest pupil had performed. Thumbing through the last of the reports, he noticed seals that contained genetic samples and a variety of other material that he could make use of. Kabuto had been very thorough.

"Thank you for the research," Orochimaru appreciated the man's hard work. "I'm terribly sorry that I cancelled your original mission, but I felt this was important. Sasuke can wait for the moment. Trying to collect him before the end of the finals would only have exposed your true allegiance."

"It's no trouble Orochimaru-sama," the boy accepted. "I'm sure it's for the best."

"Perhaps," the legendary shinobi narrowed his eyes. "But this does disrupt your plan to kill Sasuke-kun now doesn't it?"

"Hmm," the spy nodded. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you found out my intentions."

The air thickened with tension and Orochimaru could tell that his pupil was prepared for a serious fight. Betrayal was met with death, and the cost for betraying him was not a price that anyone mitigated. This sort of attitude just wasn't fostered. The Sannin waited, golden eyes studied his potential foe. Every twitch, every breath, and every blink could initiate the conflict. Minutes passed, and neither had moved. Orochimaru chucked as he realized that neither was going to make the first move.

"You are far too serious Kabuto," he chided. "Tell me, what did you think would happen if you had actually killed Sasuke-kun."

"To be honest, I don't know," the man smirked wryly. "That was why I was planning on doing it. We advance and grow stronger through evolution. Evolution only occurs when there is adversity and conflict. So much of your plan right now hinges on you acquiring the Uchiha, and I just wanted to see how you would evolve if he were no longer an option."

The medic was intelligent enough to know the simple facts by now. Orochimaru always had more than one option. Even though Sasuke-kun was a vital piece, he was not the only means. There were other methods, but the power of the Uchiha would just make things so much easier. Even his attempt at betrayal was a strange act of loyalty. The spy had perceived a weakness in the plan, and took measures to expose it.

Orochimaru decided to let it slide. Kabuto was wholly devoted to the cause, and not having the man's skills would be a great loss. Besides, what was the purpose if not to evolve? If he was to evolve beyond the limits of his own humanity, Orochimaru would welcome a genuine challenge to his plans. Through conflict and adversity people are forced to survive, and only those fit for survival will endure. That endurance ushers in the change needed for humanity to advance and grow toward something greater. It was the kind of change that Konoha desperately needed.

"What do you want me to do with the genin?" Kabuto asked, breaking the mastermind from his thoughts.

"Prepare Zaku to be used for the jutsu," Orochimaru decided without hesitation. The child's injuries would limit his immediate uses, but his death would still have purpose. "Keep an eye on Dosu. I believe he has become a little _disgruntled_, and he might try something rather rash."

"And when he does?" Kabuto questioned knowingly.

"Collect him before he gets himself killed," the Sannin answered. "I can't use him for the Edo Tensei if he is already dead."

"What about the girl?" The question gave him a moment of pause. "I know you were planning on resurrecting all three of them to fight the Sandaime."

"Leave her alone for now," Orochimaru replied. "She made herself very useful in helping Yurushi-kun survive the sealing process, and I'm beginning to wonder if she'll continue to be an asset worth keeping. Besides, summoning the Yondaime could prove to be too much. Keeping the Shodai and the Nidaime in control will be a challenge."

"Are you sure?" Kabuto double checked. "Having all of the former Hokage prepared would be beneficial if the Sandaime is able to counter the technique."

"He can't counter it," Orochimaru corrected with a haughty grin. His old Sensei was skilled, but this jutsu was beyond his ability to counter. There were ways the old man could overcome the technique, and possibly defeat it, but victory had fallen from those feeble hands some time ago. "Sarutobi-sensei will only watch in horror as he realizes how unprepared he was to face me."

Orochimaru was giddy with anticipation. He couldn't wait for the battle to come, and he was longing to see the face of his former Sensei when the old man realized that he couldn't win. No, there was nothing that could stop Orochimaru now. Nothing would stand in the way of progress.


	30. New Lessons

**Sorry I ran so late on this. I didn't mean to go so long without updating, but work has been demanding a lot of my time. Things have calmed down enough for me to resume my regular writing/update schedule. Again, sorry it took so long. Let me know what you think of the new chapter**

* * *

**Chapter 30: New Lessons**

"Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?" - Walt Whitman

* * *

Power coursed through him. He could feel how it surged through his veins flowing through him as it formed in the necessary ways that he needed. The time was right, and without any hesitation he slammed a bloodied hand down to the gravely river bank underneath his feet. Smoke erupted as his technique was completed. The slight tug of exhaustion washed over him and he was pretty sure that he used a lot more chakra than the last time.

"Come on, come on," He muttered to himself with eyes clinched shut.

Warily, he opened his eyes to see his handiwork. The smoke was clearing, and the results of his Kuchiyose no Jutsu became visible. Excitement and anticipation were dashed in a matter of seconds on seeing what had been summoned by the technique. Flopping around like a fish out of water was a tadpole.

"Ahhhrgh! Damn it!" He yelled. Exacerbated by the efforts behind learning the new skill was further compounded on yet another failure on the second week of the new training. He took a second to get a good look at the tadpole and nearly cried. "It's smaller than the last one!"

"Keep it down over there!" The hushed voice of his perverted old Sensei demanded of him. "You're going to scare 'em away. Do you have any idea how far that would set back my research?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. Unsummoning the tiny creature, the blond grumbled about his Sensei's research material. Jiraiya had been _studying_ the girls that came to play in the water pooling in a nearby waterfall. The man hadn't acted like this when teaching him the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. '_I can't believe this guy is hiding in the bushes spying on girls,_' he thought while getting ready to try again. '_At least he's taught me a cool new jutsu. Now I just gotta figure out how to make it work!_'

Ebisu wasn't a terrible teacher. He was just so boring! The guy also didn't understand why the water walking exercise wasn't going well for him. Jiraiya-sensei figured it out though. Turns out that Orochimaru put some sort of weird seal on top of the one that held the Kyūbi, and that whole mess was really jacking up his chakra control. Or something like that. Naruto wasn't really sure. He never really got a firm grasp on the situation, and since the problem was solved he didn't really care anymore.

Yurushi tried to explain it, but Naruto wasn't paying much attention. There was something about odds and evens and maybe a denominator. Thoughts of his cousin gave the blue eyed ninja pause. The guy was pretty quiet lately. He was kind of quiet to start out with, but now it was worse. It reminded him of the first few weeks that his red haired cousin lived in the village. The guy didn't talk unless he felt like he absolutely needed to. The difference this time was that he completely understood the reasons for Yurushi's attitude.

Naruto honestly couldn't bring himself to believe that Kenshi was dead. The idea of it was ridiculous. The guy had claimed that he was going to be Hokage. While the blond wasn't going to let the kid take his dream away, he certainly wasn't happy about the turn of events either. Kenshi didn't even have a chance at achieving his goals of becoming Hokage. People shouldn't have their lives robbed from them like that.

Why? That was an answer that he could quite grasp. Slamming his fist into the rocks of the dried out river bed, he could feel the sting of broken skin. It took the edge off a little. Pain had a way of shifting priorities. Naruto had learned first-hand how pain can shape someone into a different person, or make them do things they wouldn't normally consider. Even the fear of pain could take a seemingly elite warrior and make them a coward. Uchiha Sasuke, someone he measured himself against, buckled under the fear of pain and death. Kenshi, on the other hand, did not. '_Would I have done that?_' The blond wondered. '_Could I fight like he did knowing I would die?_'

Haku had told him that real strength came from protecting those that were precious to him. It hadn't taken much time after that morning in the glade for Naruto to figure out who was precious to him. His family, his team, his village were all a part of him. Each made up a part of who he was, and he wasn't willing to give up on any of them. Kenshi probably had precious ones just like he did. The difference was that the sword wielder was willing to sacrifice himself to keep what he loved safe. Haku did the exact same thing for Zabuza. Sighing heavily, the blond wasn't sure he could ever be as strong as either had been. Naruto wanted his loved ones to be safe, but he didn't want to die either.

He knew the one responsible for Kenshi's death. He had fought against Orochimaru just like his friend had, but he survived. That didn't make any sense whatsoever. There was no rhyme to it, and no reason. Gritting his teeth with seething anger as he remembered the arrogant face of the sadistic Sannin. Rage was building up as he thought of how that bastard acted like he could do whatever he wanted to. He needed to distract himself before he flew off the handle.

Performing the proper hand seals he slammed his hand on the ground once more. A new smokescreen was created. The anger left him as his excitement took over. Using the Kuchiyose this time felt a little weird. Almost like his chakra was different in some indescribable way. If he had to put it to words, then he would describe his chakra as yellow. Just a moment ago, however, he could definitely say that it was red.

The smoke cleared and the shape seemed bigger than a tadpole. Then he heard a croak. "Yes!" Naruto shouted in joy. "I did it! I did it Ero-sennin! Come over here and check it out."

"Alright already," the man groaned as he left the shrubbery. "Just stop shouting will ya?"

The tall shinobi approached. Rubbing the back of his neck, the Sannin sighed. Taking a seat, Jiraiya-sensei set the binoculars he was still holding aside. The man stared down at the summoned creature. "Well," he started. "It's not a tadpole, so I guess you've made some progress."

"What do you mean _some_?" The blond squawked. "This thing is awesome. I totally summoned a frog that's ready for battle!"

"Yeah," the elder shinobi scratched at the side of his head. "That's a toad, and it's far from battle ready. It still has a bit of a tail."

"What? No way!" Naruto objected and got a good look at the toad. Alright, so it wasn't that big. Practically putting his face up to the creature, he did notice the remains of what could have been a tail. Flopping down in defeat, the blond crossed his arms indignantly. His perverted teacher was right. That thing wouldn't be able to do anything for battle. This training was way harder than what Ebisu had him doing.

"Don't worry kid," Jiraiya-sensei chuckled. "You'll learn how to summon something really big soon. Just keep trying and you'll get it sooner or later."

Unsummoning the hopping disappointment, the blue eyed ninja took a deep breath and tried to think of how he could make this work. Jiraiya-sensei stalked his way back to the bushes to continue perving all over some stupid girls. Naruto shrugged. He wasn't sure how he could do anything different, but he wasn't about to give up yet. The genin was going to keep going until he figured it out. That was how he always learned things, and it worked for him. Don't fix it if it ain't broken.

'_Speaking of broken,_' the blonde thought as he started to build up as much chakra as he could. '_Yurushi's arm should be better now. I hope he'll train with me soon._'

* * *

Innocuous. Milquetoast. Boring. These were words that perfectly described the actions of the genin as he carefully inspected the herbs at a local shop. He was likely going to use them for some medicinal purpose, but it was possible that he could use them for something else. Either way, it didn't appear suspicious at all. Hayate was working off his hunch though, and he wasn't going to let this kid get away without solid proof exonerating the kid.

There was nothing about this guy that screamed _spy_, but it was all too circumstantial for the sword wielding tokubetsu jōnin. What drew his attention to the young man was the fact he voluntarily backed out of the final road block to being a chūnin candidate. What genin, especially one who had failed in the past, would come so far only to quit? It was one thing to be smart and surrender when outmatched, but this kid didn't even try. It was like he had quit because his job was finished. The way Kakashi's team reacted to his quitting was surprising. They had some sort of connection to him, and certainly didn't think he'd back out.

Uchiha Sasuke was Orochimaru's objective. Anyone connected to Sasuke and his team that hadn't already been in the picture was questionable, and this genin was at the top of Hayate's list. His target seemed satisfied with the jar in his hand and added it to the collection he was going to purchase. The kenjutsu master was trying to take the list of dried herbs and figure out what the genin could be trying to make. He lamented his lack of medical knowledge. The only thing that he could think of was Yokukansan, but that couldn't be right. That was meant to help calm agitated and restless children, so that couldn't possibly be what he was making. There was no way that young man had a kid.

Taking a sip of his tea, Hayate pondered the possible fact that his alleged spy could be working with a pediatrician at the hospital. The heat of the bitter drink soothed his sore throat, and helped calm his overly taxed mind. He was glad that he no longer had to worry about the prep work for the Exams. The Hokage was able to reassign someone else to do that job, which left him free to investigate any and all possible leads. Answering Kenshi's death was the only thing that mattered to him at the moment. The best possible way to avenge the boy and protect the village was figuring out Orochimaru's grand scheme. It was a task that required his utmost attention and total focus.

Yūgao tried to convince him that he was obsessing. Hayate couldn't believe that she actually suggested that he take a step back and let ANBU investigate. He just couldn't accept it though. '_He was my student,_' Hayate gripped his pant legs tightly at the thought. '_He was my responsibility. I should be involved in the investigation._'

Cutting a quick glance across the street he noticed his mark was walking out of the small pharmacy. For a brief moment their eyes met, and the kid's gaze narrowed and then relaxed. The exchange was so fast Hayate almost didn't register it, almost. Calmly, casually, as though nothing happened the teenaged genin turned and walked away. The swordsman remained seated. He would wait a moment or two before giving chase. The genin was on to him, and he'd have to use a different Henge to throw the kid off.

The instincts on this one were sharp; too sharp in fact. The genin in question had failed his first attempt at graduation from the Academy. The second time he passed, but just barely. He then failed the team examination and was returned to the Academy for another year. The third time was the charm, but his skillset showed no remarkable growth. In fact, the genin was locked in perpetual stagnation. The only area worthy of note was his unlikely talent for Iryō ninjutsu. It shouldn't be that surprising given that he was adopted by a Captain in the Iryō Butai, but even that didn't justify the unnatural amount of talent the genin had.

Paying the tab, Hayate left the tea house quietly. Checking up and down the street he didn't notice anyone that could be keeping an eye on him, so he took to the roof. Jumping across the tiled slants and gravel lined flats that made up Konoha's skyline, he released his chakra made disguise. This game of cat and mouse he had been playing was beginning to grate against his every nerve. All he needed was a shred of proof, and he could report his suspicions to the Hokage. It didn't even need to be solid proof at this time, just about anything could do right now. Just enough to force the Hokage into action. Hayate scoffed at the thought.

The system was flawed. As it stood, it was a wonder there weren't dozens of possible infiltrations into the village by foreign agents. The black ops division had been overworked since the annihilation of the Keimu Butai. Dozens of the masked ninja were dedicated to the copious amounts of police work that needed doing. The mysterious elite were not cops. Not even close. There was only so much they could do in comparison to the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan alone did most of the necessary detective work needed to evaluate a crime scene, and few other clans were willing to take the lead and revive the force.

Spotting his target once more, Hayate came to a stop on a rooftop to get a feel for the direction that this spy was going. The kid seemed to have stopped to check a few vegetables. The tired shinobi dropped from his perch into a narrowed alleyway. Walking back toward the street, he removed his sword from his back and tucked it underneath his arm. Something a bit different this time. The image of an elderly man, balding on the top with a few thin wisps around the edges, and holding a cane came to mind. With a few quick hand seals his disguise was complete.

Sticking to his disguise, Hayate took a very subdued pace through the crowded city streets. The cane was a nice touch, as a few people offered to help him cut through the traffic. He gratefully declined. The approach took him a bit longer than he would have liked, but it was necessary to play the role. If it wasn't believable, then his target would be too suspicious. Rather, more so than he already was. Nearing the produce stand, the jōnin saw no signs of his quarry.

Mentally, he was cursing. The kid was gone, but there was a chance he ducked into the store. Through the window at the store front, Hayate saw absolutely nothing. He was duped, again. For the fourth time this week his target had eluded him. '_Well, you sure do like to keep things interesting,_' Hayate thought as he walked toward an alleyway. There was no need to try and pursue anymore. For now at least. Yakushi Kabuto had given him the slip this time, but sooner or later he'd mess up, and Hayate would be there when he did.

* * *

Rest they told him. Rest. He'd done plenty of that already. It wasn't like they had given him much of an option anyway. With the chakra suppression tags still attached, Yurushi was barely able to work through his daily katas without feeling winded. He wasn't even supposed to be performing his katas since his arm was technically still healing. After three weeks in a hospital, his arm felt fine enough to at least perform a relaxed daily exercise. Real training was impossible at this point, which was a dreadful prospect.

He had released his training seal during the fight with Orochimaru which was both a blessing and a curse. The seal created resistance, and that resistance forced his body to produce more chakra for basic movement on top of what he needed to live and train. The immediate benefit was a larger pool of chakra to draw from, and the body would use it more efficiently. Any efficiency was purely subconscious, and as a result beyond his control. So while it didn't mean that chakra control exercises were any easier it did mean that he didn't have to focus on using chakra to be faster when the seal was released. His body just used the same proportion of chakra it had adapted to whether the seal was powered up or not.

Not having the seal active for such a long period of time meant that these benefits were already starting to fade. Dialing back the resistance during combat created very few setbacks since it could quickly be amped up again, but it had nearly been a month since the seal was completely deactivated. After such a long span of time his body was beginning to adjust to having no resistance against it. It would take months, or perhaps years to build back up to where he had been.

The general loss of training combined with the inability to use chakra was resulting in atrophy. He wasn't as fast, not as precise, and his stamina was on the decline. The only benefit to the entire affair was that he had time to figure several things out. Yurushi had solved the problems with his identification seal so it would no longer be draining to use. He had also studied the seals that were wrapped around his wrists and ankles. They were the most intriguing since they were not based on an Uzumaki style, but he thought he could duplicate them if needed. Other styles of fūinjutsu were like a puzzle within a puzzle. First he had to translate the style itself before he could solve the seal.

Studying the wall opposite his desk he got a good look at the sword resting on its mount. Having only mental training to do was making him a little stir crazy. Focusing his attention on his new weapon Yurushi was fascinated by its simplistic beauty. The muted blues of the metallic scabbard had a calming effect on his eyes, and his ears delighted when the blade would sing as it was drawn. But it was a siren song. The blade was nothing like the katana his master had given him. Working through his warm-ups he immediately caught the difference.

His master's sword divided the air as he danced through the movements. It was calming, peaceful, almost enlightening at times. When using the blade called Kasei, Yurushi noticed its true nature. The edge ripped through everything it was set against. Even during a simple practice routine, the sword felt aggressive. Almost as if the sword itself was thirsty for blood.

It was wonderfully crafted to be sure, and it felt powerful just to hold. But its purpose, its nature, was not the same as a samurai's sword. This weapon made to reap the lives of men. Yurushi hadn't noticed it when Takumi was in front of him, and he briefly wondered something. Did the sword's power make it thirst lifeblood, or was it the vow that the redhead had made upon the weapon?

Blood was the key to unlocking the blade's ability to achieve a sort of unity with him; a process that he had begun without noticing any differences as of yet. It was possible that the construction of the weapon made it ravenous. The more he thought about it though, the more he suspected that he was to blame. It was Kenshi's sword. He had sworn to Kenshi upon the blade that Orochimaru would die for his crimes. Yurushi was beginning to believe that he may have cursed the sword with those words. Either way, he determined that it was not a weapon that he would ever draw against a comrade; even if it was for a simple sparring session. Even the thought of a spar was almost hilarious.

'_If I was to face Neji like this it wouldn't even take him five seconds to defeat me,' _the boy admitted to himself. He couldn't train in any real capacity, and his reading material was starting to give him a headache. Fūinjutsu had so many different applications there was no way of keeping it all straight. All that his mother had left to him was beginning to come clearer in his mind. What had once been a jumbled mess of theorems and equations was now an intricate art he could only just appreciate. In his bones he could feel it. Yurushi knew that in the grand scheme it wouldn't be much longer until he mastered the Shishō Fūin. That was still much further in the future though, and right now the redhead thought he would go crazy if he continued trying to decipher the Uzumaki style of kekkai fūinjutsu.

Standing up suddenly unleashed a wave of dizziness and the young ninja took a moment to orient himself toward the door of his room. He needed to clear his head. Fresh air could go a long way to do that. Without much more thought or debate, Yurushi began to walk for the door of the apartment. A walk sounded like a great idea. '_Besides, I did tell Naruto that I would drop by this afternoon to see what he was training on,_' Yurushi recalled as he gripped the door.

A walk could do a lot of good. He could give Naruto some pointers on fighting Neji, and perhaps Jiraiya-sensei would be able to shed some light on a couple of topics. At the very least he could get away from the mess of scrolls on his desk.

* * *

This was disappointing to say the least. There were only a few days left before the finals started and little progress had been made. Something would have to change here. Thinking on the matter wasn't exactly his strong suit. He had tried a few different methods to get the results that he had been looking for, but the same things would happen. His last resort might have to be utilized. It really was a last resort. The last thing that he really wanted to do was throw his own godson off the edge of a ravine.

Sighing Jiraiya trudged over to where Naruto sat. Sitting was a term used loosely given how the boy was sprawled out on the gravelly banks of a stream. Scratching his head he studied the blonde as the kid snored lightly. The bewhiskered child was incredible. Hours of constant training for days on end trying to utilize as much chakra as he possibly could would have hospitalized any one of his classmates, but here he was. Sleeping gently. The grayed ninja snarled a little in disgust when he saw a river of drool seeping out of the corner of the kid's mouth.

"Alright, get up brat," he called. No response. The kid must have out done himself again.

"It's time to wake up," Jiraiya said as he wedged his foot beneath the sleeping bulk. With swift and sudden force, he pushed out with his leg. Naruto flew into the air toward the shallow waters. The awkward weightlessness must have startled him out of his slumber because those bright blue eyes shot open with unexpected fright.

Splashdown. The child flailed around in the brook until he realized that it lacked true depth. When the blond finally stood up his face was glowering. The attempt at being threatening made him erupt in laughter. '_This must be how Sarutobi-sensei sees me when I get mad at him,_' the legend thought as he began to reign himself in.

"What's the big idea Ero-sennin?" Naruto shouted. "I'm workin' my butt off trying to get this jutsu down and you aren't letting me get any rest."

"Sorry," he shrugged off his student's complaints. "When I told you to use up all of your chakra that's exactly what I meant. Resting lets you recover. I need you to be able to tap into that red chakra you have. That's the only way you'll be able to get real results from the Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

"I've been doing that and it hasn't worked!" The blond moaned. Truth was the kid had been doing that for well over two weeks now, and no matter how he mixed things up it was all the same. Naruto would use the technique until his passed out from exhaustion. The real benefit here was that the kid could work through the hand seals without thinking now. At least his own hands won't trip him up anymore.

"Well," Jiraiya thought. "You summoned that one toad earlier. How did you do that?"

"Whaddya mean?" Blue eyes asked in confusion. "I did it just like I did all the other times."

"Something was different," the spymaster resisted the urge to palm his face. "That was the only time you haven't summoned a tadpole. There was something different about that time."

"Umm," Naruto tilted his head trying to recall the event. "Well I was kinda mad right before I did it."

"You were angry?" Jiraiya asked. This was good. He had theorized that as the child learned how to utilize chakra, then the power of the Kyūbi would be drawn out. With the chakra of the demon seeping into his own, Naruto's own emotional state of mind would either suppress the beast or provoke it into action. Anger could be the trigger to drawing out the Kyūbi's chakra. "What were you angry about?"

"Kenshi," Naruto answered faintly.

"I see," the wizened man responded. He had heard the story. Someone close to Naruto, and closer still to Yurushi had died during the second part of the Chūnin Exams. It was a rough loss that was likely to have shaken them both. The blond haired boy continued to endure, but that was who he was. Naruto was a survivor, but not because he wanted to be. Naruto could trudge through any trial and circumstance because he had to. He knew nothing else except to just keep pushing forward.

"Why did Orochimaru kill him?" The child question, seething with hatred. Jiraiya wasn't sure if the kid wanted to understand his former teammate or if he was just trying to work through his pent up aggression. "Why did he do it?"

"Honestly kid, I don't know," he lamented. Truth was Orochimaru was an ever evolving mystery. There were times when the guy just did things, but all the while the snake had plans within plans. Only when the stars aligned just right could the Sennin decrypt some of the madness. "Sometimes these things just happen for no real reason and we're left picking up the pieces."

"It's just not fair!" The boy shouted. "It's not right."

"No, it isn't," Jiraiya agreed solemnly. "Listen Naruto, life is a fragile thing. In a job like ours death is around every corner. That's why it's so important that we don't sit back and let it go to waste."

"But Kenshi had dreams," Naruto sputtered. "He wanted to be Hokage just like I do."

"Then carry on for him," Jiraiya answered quickly. The blond had work to do, and he couldn't waste time feeling sorry. There was a time and a place for mourning, but right now wasn't it. Naruto needed to master this jutsu, just in case something happened. "Be the Hokage that Kenshi can't be."

"Yeah," the child intoned with a sad smile.

"But you can't do it if you don't master this jutsu. Every single Hokage has mastered the Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he prodded the boy to action. "It's almost a requirement."

"Alright, I'll master it in no time!" The kid's blue eyes shone with a fierce determination.

"This time, when you are drawing out your chakra, try to get angry about something. Then use the jutsu," Jiraiya decided to give Naruto a day trying to draw out the Kyūbi's chakra on his own. If he couldn't figure it out by this time tomorrow, then he'd push the kid over the edge. Literally.

Turning around, Jiraiya walked back toward the bush he had been hiding in. The girls from yesterday didn't return, but a different group showed up to play in the waterfall. Two of the three weren't terribly special. Cute enough he figured, but nothing to take note of. The brunette among them had an angelic face. The woman looked almost regal. Enough so that he had to double check his notes to see if she was a noble. Inspiration struck at that point. A new character was born. A woman of noble birth, hidden away from her father's enemies, growing up as a commoner, and thrust back into a position of power and intrigue. She would, of course, be thrust into several other positions as well. Had to keep the fans happy after all.

Swimming through the shrubbery, the spymaster got himself comfortable. Drawing out his binoculars, Jiraiya pouted when he gazed back over to the waterfall. The girls were gone. '_Damn brat had to interrupt the whole process with his little nap,_' he maligned as he tried to decide whether or not staying in the bushes was a good idea. More girls could show up later, but if not he'd just be hiding out for no reason. The decision was made for him when he heard approaching footsteps.

They were calm in their approach. Inexperienced in their strides given how much noise each footfall made, but they had received solid training. Given the pace, they likely weren't trying to be stealthy. They knew where they were going though, and that's how he figured out who the visitor was. Exiting the shrubbery he turned just in time to see a mop of red hair approaching. The change in his style of dress was noted, and filed away as practicality. The real issue was the sling his left arm was caught in. Orochimaru had done a number on him.

"It's been a while Yurushi," he greeted the kid. An eyebrow shot up in question, but he couldn't tell what was on his mind. Scratching his head he realized that a twig and leaves were caught up in the tangles of his hair.

"It's good to see you Jiraiya-sensei," Yurushi replied with no mirth. Yeah, the loss of a teammate had struck him really hard. The sagely man hadn't been expecting some great Narutoesque outburst of emotion, but he had been expecting a smirk at least.

"Naruto was hoping that you'd drop by," Jiraiya wasn't going to press the boy like he did with his pupil. Naruto needed to focus on training, but Yurushi needed to work through his own emotions right now. He'd be there to help, but he wouldn't create pressure either. The best thing he could provide was a distraction until a new routine could set in. "I think he wanted to run his strategy for fighting Neji by you."

"Where is he?" The boy asked flatly.

"A little further down the stream here, but that can wait for later," Jiraiya responded.

"What is he learning? Naruto never told me what jutsu you're teaching him," Yurushi took a seat on the ground.

"I'm teaching him the Kuchiyose no Jutsu," he beamed. The blond was so excited to sign the contract for the toads. Even more so when he noticed that the Yondaime's name right by his own. It was bittersweet to hear Naruto comparing himself to the man. The Yondaime was the greatest hero the village had known, and the kid's bright blue eyes just sparkled with adoration every time he spoke of the Yondaime. Jiraiya cursed his Sensei for not letting him tell the boy the truth, and he wondered what drove his former student to make the old man swear to say nothing. Minato didn't just say things without purpose. The Yondaime told Sarutobi-sensei that he'd tell Naruto about his parents. How was that even possible?

Returning from his thoughts he noticed the red-haired Uzumaki was waiting patiently. Minutes of utter silence passed as Jiraiya waited for the boy to speak. Studying the child he made note of something strange. Around Yurushi's wrists and ankles there were chakra suppression seals. There was likely another tag on his back along the spine, and all of them had probably been the only things keeping him alive. Well, it wasn't all that strange. He knew all about the kid's encounter with his former teammate, but Jiraiya had figured that Sarutobi would have fixed the problem by now.

"Hey kid," Jiraiya broke the silence. Training the boy would help a number of things, but getting rid of the shackles placed on him would be the first step on the road to recovery. "You wanna learn the jutsu I'm teaching Naruto."

The offer was declined with a shake of the head.

"You sure? It's pretty awesome," the older ninja goaded only to be rejected again. "After a few years of practice you'd be able to summon a massive toad to help you in battle."

"I can't," the boy responded weakly.

"Why not?" Jiraiya already knew why. Those seals wouldn't let him train in any serious capacity. He just wanted to get the kid talking about it.

"My chakra is being suppressed," he answered holding out a wrist so that Jiraiya could see the fūinjutsu up close.

"Yup, that'll keep you from training for sure. Oh well," he shrugged after getting a glimpse of the ink and paper. "Now that I think about it, Kuchiyose isn't really your style."

Silence reigned once more. A cool breeze settled in as birds flew overhead. Their chorus harmonized with the melody of the running water. It had been so long since he last just sat down and appreciated nature. Even longer since he had company while doing so. Last he could remember was when Minato was a boy no older than Naruto. They would meditate in the moments while his other two genin students would try and finish up their daily exercises. The moans of a frustrated blond broke the serenity and it made him laugh. Those sounds had been common then as well.

His other two genin were not nearly as gifted as the Yondaime, but time and training had turned them into highly competent ninja. The years had not been kind, but even amidst the pain they brought there was always a new source of hope. To see his prized student come so far dedicating his service in the memory of his teammates was bittersweet. Now watching as the Yondaime's carbon copy advanced well beyond his years and began following in the footsteps of his predecessor was equally bittersweet. It was the power of that hope that kept him going these days.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Yurushi broke the comfortable silence. "What do you know about Orochimaru?"

"What about him?" Jiraiya had seen that question coming. The encounter that the child had during the exam had been a brush with death. The curiosity was probably a raging inferno at this point, and the redhead was trying to determine how he was going to move forward. Revenge was the most likely outcome.

"I heard he can use a special juinjutsu, and I was-"

"You wanted to know what it does and if I can remove it from you," the master shinobi interrupted. Yurushi had no idea what was stamped on his left arm, and frankly, Jiraiya didn't understand it much either. "Unfortunately I can't just remove it. I don't understand the seal too much, and it's something I have never seen anywhere else. There is nothing like it in the world, and without his source material I can't even begin to break it down."

Orochimaru's juinjutsu were a league of their own. This was not because of any mastery his former teammate held in the sealing arts, nor was it because they were technical and complex. The thing that made this seal different was the introduction of senjutsu. Somehow, Orochimaru had completed training in the ways of a Sennin. Somehow, that snake had discovered how to utilize the powers of nature and harnessed that power in his fūinjutsu. That was the real mystery.

"Do you know what it does?" The boy asked quickly.

"I know only the basics of how it works," the aging ninja confirmed. Orochimaru and his antics had to have robbed him of ten years to his life due to stress alone. "The seal, over time, will bend you and break you to his will. It also allows you to tap into a big boost of power, but that only accelerates the erosion of your own freedom."

"And there is no way to remove it?" The kid looked dejected. Thoughtful, but dejected.

"I can't remove it," Jiraiya confirmed letting his words trail off in the anticipation that there was more; and there was. "But I'm sure I can negate the effects of his mind control."

"Then what are we waiting for?" The redhead seemed agitated, but a spark returned to his eyes.

"I just want to know what you intend to do about Kenshi's death," the sullenness that had been broken settled in again as the young Uzumaki worked out an answer.

"I don't care how long it takes, but I will kill Orochimaru," the child growled out just above a whisper. Jiraiya laughed. The idea was completely absurd. First the idea that Orochimaru would die in combat, and then thinking that this boy wanted to do it. Kids these days were full of all kinds of nonsense.

"Swear to me that you won't go near Orochimaru, and I'll help you out," the Sannin offered.

"I can't," Yurushi answered. "I already swore that I would kill him. No matter what, I will kill that man."

"Who did you make that promise to?" He was genuinely curious to whom he would make such an outlandish guarantee.

"Muramasa Kenshi's brother made a sword," the redhead started to explain. "It was going to be gifted to him when he became a chūnin. Takumi gave me that sword, and I swore on that blade that I would end Orochimaru's life."

"It's a fool's errand kid," Jiraiya pointed out. "Orochimaru is beyond you. Besides, violence only begets more violence. Killing him won't bring your friend back."

"I know that!" Yurushi shouted. Immediately, the child calmed himself with a deep breath. At least wasn't going to purposefully allow his emotions to rule his decisions. "I wasn't even there when it happened. I couldn't help him when I should have. It's my fault-"

"It's not your fault kid," Jiraiya corrected sternly. He wondered how much blame Yurushi put on himself. It was unhealthy to just pile on remorse upon guilt taking the blame and hoarding it all. "This is just something you have to learn to move past."

"I don't think I can," the boy murmured.

"Promise me you'll try," the Sennin needed something. Some sort of effort that the kid would abandon this path of self-destruction. If the cycle of violence and hatred was going to end, it could only end with the next generation. "You have to learn how to forgive yourself. If you can't do that then you'll never be able to move forward."

"I, I'll try," Yurushi nodded. He sighed. That would have to do for now.

"Come back here after a few days and I'll be ready," Jiraiya instructed. Well, with his attentions now diverted for the immediate future, Naruto just ran out of time. This'll be good for the brat. The blond has to master the art of working under pressure, and there was no time like the present. "I'll have to do some research on chakra absorption techniques and see if I can't rig something up. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw your cousin down a ravine."

"What?" Yurushi looked at him incredulously.

"Don't worry," the elite ninja assuaged as he rose to fetch his witless pupil. "It's for training. Naruto's gonna be fine."

* * *

He was bored. Nothing against his cousin, or the seriousness of the situation, but all of this waiting got old a long time ago. Naruto had kind of figured that this would be a quick and easy process. Jiraiya-sensei would cycle through some hand seals, the problem would be sealed, and he could get in one last day of solid training. If he had known that he would be spending over two hours twiddling his thumbs waiting for this to be over, then he would have just gone to the training field already.

Yurushi was lying down trying not to move as a brush danced along his skin. His arm was covered in ink. The rigid symbols and figures encompassing the dangerous seal looked like a jail keeping a killer locked away. Jiraiya-sensei put the brush down and scanned everything that he had done so far.

"Naruto come here real quick," his teacher waved him over. "When I tell you, I want you to pull those tags off his wrists."

"Alright," Naruto nodded.

"Okay," Jiraiya-sensei focused on his cousin. "We're gonna take these tags off and then I'm going to start molding chakra for this thing. I'd do it the other way around, but I have to feel the disruption in your chakra pathways so I can adjust the spin correctly. After that it'll take me a few minutes to finish all of the hand seals, so you'll have to just bear through it for a little while."

"How bad will it be?" Yurushi asked.

"Not gonna lie to ya," Ero-Sennin looked a little grim. "It's gonna hurt like hell."

Yurushi gulped down his fears and tried to steel himself. The blond just hoped this would work because he was sick of seeing his cousin moping around all the time. Some training would help to clear his cousin's head. It always worked for him at least. Catching his cousin's glance, Yurushi nodded to him. He was ready, or as ready as he'd ever be.

"Alright Naruto, hold him still for me. Ready?" The blond nodded. "Go!"

Ripping off the last piece of paper was like flipping some switch. Immediately his cousin began shouting and writhing as pain washed over him. Naruto grabbed hold of Yurushi and held him tightly in an effort to keep him from squirming too much. It wasn't working too well, but he never let his grip waiver. Naruto shifted his weight, forcing the redhead face down on the tiled floor.

Using his knees, the blond kept his weight pressed down on his cousin's body. Arms were forced down at the side as the feet flailed and occasionally pelted him in the back. Jiraiya-sensei had his eyes clinched shut as he concentrated on his work. His teacher's hands were moving so fast, and he could barely see the blurred digits.

"Give me his arm!" Ero-Sennin shouted.

Naruto twisted his cousin's left arm a bit. He looked at the angle to see if the seal was exposed and there was ease of access for his Sensei to do his thing. It looked uncomfortable, but with the pain that his cousin seemed to be in, he probably didn't notice. The legendary pervert stepped forward and slammed his palm onto the offending fūinjutsu. The ink became as fire. Embers dancing along the skin raced toward the area beneath Jiraiya-sensei's palm.

The blond hopped off as his job seemed done. Sensei backed away as he waited for the seal to finish taking hold. The fiery designs formed the shape of a layered pentagon once the reds cooled to black. Yurushi stopped his shouting, and he gripped his arm where the seal had been placed. He was hissing as the remnants of pain clung to him, but Naruto smiled. It worked, he knew it did. Ero-Sennin may be the biggest perv in the world, but he knew what he was doing when it came to ninja stuff.

"Thank the Kami for quick-dry ink," Jiraiya-sensei mused out loud.

'_Except for training_,' Naruto amended his previous thought. '_Yeah, Jiraiya-sensei probably shouldn't be training anyone ever. How the hell is throwing someone off the edge of a cliff ever a good idea?_'

"How are you feeling?" Jiraiya-sensei huffed, looking a bit winded.

"It burns, but I'll be fine," Yurushi answered still clutching his left arm.

"That'll pass, but at least you're okay now," the large man said as he took a seat. "This is how it works. The seal I put on you will collect any chakra that leaks out of the Chi no Juin and it'll change the spin of that chakra to match your own. That should negate the effect Orochimaru would have on your mind. You should still be able to tap into the power boost that the juinjutsu gives, but it won't be substantial. I designed my seal so it's powered by Orochimaru's seal. This way it won't rely on your chakra. I do have to warn you though, there is a way he can increase the power output of the Chi no Juin. I don't know how he does it, but I know he can. If he succeeds it would overpower the seal I added, and if that happens you'll probably die."

"Would that ever be a problem?" Yurushi asked. Naruto wasn't sure what any of this was about, but it sounded serious. And all sorts of complicated. Still, with the problem fixed now neither he nor his cousin should ever have to worry about Chi no whachya-ma-call it ever again.

"Not if you stay away from Orochimaru," the Sennin returned looking dead serious. "You both need to stay as far away from that man as possible."

"Alright," the blond declared feeling rather chipper now that the business at hand was settled. "That sounds easy enough; just stay away from the creepy snake man. Now can we go train some more?"

"Sure thing brat," Jiraiya-sensei answered clasping an arm around his shoulder as they walked toward the door. The finals were in just a few days and Naruto wanted to be as ready as possible. This wasn't just some nameless nobody that he was fighting. It was Neji. It was Yurushi's rival, a true genius, and someone who needed to learn a lesson about how people can change themselves.

The blond turned his head over his shoulder when he didn't feel his cousin following. "You comin'?" He asked expectantly.

"I think I'm just going to go home for now," the redhead answered. "I need to reactivate my training seal, and I won't be able to do much after that."

Out of the corner of his eye Naruto noticed Jiraiya-sensei fishing around in his pocket, withdrawing a scroll. "Here you go kid," he said tossing it to the swordsman. "When you get time you may want to run through that."

"What is it?" The blond asked. He had a hunch at this point, knowing his cousin and his Sensei booth had a liking for study and research. "More boring fūinjutsu stuff?"

"It just so happens to be a copy of the Nidaime's writings on kuchiyose techniques," the super pervert clarified smugly. "You don't have to have a summoning contract to get use out of the overall concept."

"Thank you Sensei," Yurushi bowed.

"Just don't get too wrapped up in that stuff!" Naruto reminded with some agitation. When Yurushi had something new to read he disappeared for hours on end digesting the new information. "I still need to go over strategy with you tonight."

Yurushi nodded with a smirk on his face. The blond beamed in response. It was good to see his cousin start to come around a bit. Losing Kenshi was still rough, but old man Hokage and Ero-Sennin said that they had to carry on. He was instructed to live by the example that was set by his first rival for the seat of Hokage. Naruto didn't know exactly what all of that meant. But he knew that to live by someone's example meant living in the present, and not getting lost in the past.


End file.
